Chapter 199: Perhaps a Dragon’s Bone

"What do you think those bones are?"

Liszt asked curiously. An average person's height was around one meter and seventy centimeters, which meant that each of the five bones had a diameter greater than that.

One could imagine how long they must be and how large the skeleton they formed would be.

Marcus turned his head to look at the door, seemingly ensuring no one was eavesdropping behind it, before cautiously responding, "I think they might be dragon bones!"

"Dragon bones!"

Liszt was suddenly startled but quickly suppressed his surprise and excitement, asking his doubts, "If they are dragon bones... were any mineral deposits found in that valley?"

"Well... it doesn't seem like any mineral deposits were discovered. We excavated the bones, digging several meters deep until we hit rock, and didn't find any metallic ores or crystals and gems."

"Is that so? Dragons can affect their surroundings. If these were the remains of metal dragons or gem dragons, Black Horse Island would likely have become a mine. Since it hasn't turned into a mine, it suggests that these bones are probably not from metal dragons or gem dragons."

Marcus speculated, "Could they be the remains of elemental dragons?"

"It's unlikely for elemental dragons either. I discussed this with Elkson, who read a book written by a mage. It mentioned that the magic power of elemental dragons lingers and affects their surroundings. The Wind Roar Valley in the Radiant Empire is a result of a wind dragon battle, and it still experiences strong winds today."

After such discussions,

half the possibilities of the bones being from dragons were ruled out.

"Could they be left by super-dragon-type magical beasts?" Marcus proposed another possibility. "I've only heard of high-level dragon-type magical beasts, but even if they were large, it's impossible for a bone to have a diameter of one meter and seventy centimeters... So I guess they could be from super-dragon-type magical beasts, but they're legendary creatures."

Magical beasts were categorized into low, medium, high, and super levels.

In fact, the distinction between high-level and super-level magical beasts was very vague. There weren't many observed individuals, and there was no standard—whether based on combat power or size—to differentiate between high and super levels. Generally, humans avoided provoking powerful magical beasts.

Moreover, according to rumors,

there wasn't a single super-level magical beast in the Sapphire Grand Duchy.

The continent was vast, and super-level magical beasts only appeared frequently in knightly novels. The Earl invaded the Eagle Kingdom every year and was well-traveled but had never heard of any super-level magical beasts existing there.

Let alone super-dragon-type magical beasts.

At the super-level, their bloodline was already infinitely powerful, and being affected by dragons was likely only theoretically possible.

After much discussion, the two couldn't determine what creature the five enormous bones belonged to.

"Tomorrow, I'll personally go to Black Horse Island to see what wonders these five bones hold!"

...

Saying it, he did it.

After instructing the town officials to supervise the Barley Village serfs in planting corn grass,

Liszt directly boarded a ship with Hiddleston and set off for Black Horse Island with Marcus. After half a day of sailing, they arrived at their destination.

A simple dock had been built, floating on the sea surface with wood, slightly swaying when walked upon. As for Hiddleston, it had to ride a wooden boat because its heavy build was too much for the floating dock to bear.

Upon landing, they saw a row of new wooden houses within a hundred meters of the dock.

Serfs were clearing debris and weeds around them.

It was a rudimentary outpost,

but it represented Liszt's foothold on Black Horse Island.

Without delay, they headed straight for the valley where the five large bones were found, encountering the black-blooded horse herd along the way. The Horse King was somewhat unfamiliar with Liszt, but once he rode it, they quickly became acquainted. Carrying Liszt, it continuously charged and turned back.

Along the way, Marcus reported on his recent exploration of Black Horse Island.

"There are no magical beasts on the island, at least none have been discovered yet. Only some small carnivores and herbivores exist, with the largest being the black-blooded horses. The vegetation is also quite monotonous, with few trees, mostly unknown scrub trees with few branches."

He pointed to a tree beside the road.

This tree was one of the scrub trees he mentioned. Its trunk was straight, with branches high up that weren't lush. It bore no flowers or fruits, grew to a modest height, and its leaves were already turning yellow, suggesting it was a deciduous tree.

Ordinary.

Marcus continued, "There are many weeds on the island, apart from the pasture grass. The rest are common weeds that the black-blooded horses don't eat, so it's best to remove them."

Finally, he added, "My lord, I'm mapping Black Horse Island, but it's not yet complete."

Liszt suddenly asked, "Have you chosen a location for building the castle?"

"Not yet. There aren't many defensive terrains on the island. The hills are not high, and the terrain isn't steep. We can't build a castle as formidable as Tulip Castle here, and it may not even compare to Beer Castle's terrain. I believe that if we really want to build a castle, it should be constructed on flat ground with thick walls and a moat."

Not every castle could be built on a cliff; most were constructed on flat ground.

Liszt simply showed concern.

Soon, under the setting sun, they arrived at the valley where the five bones were found, located between Ice Grass Hill and Needle Grass Hill.

Due to the deep weeds and the bones being buried deeply, they were hard to discover.

"I discovered this wreckage and the five bones while riding Black Shatter," Marcus patted the horse beneath him and approached the center of the valley, where the weeds had been cleared away.

Behind him was a freshly dug pit, with a massive gray-white broken bone slanted into the ground.

Around it were four other partially exposed giant bones and scattered bone fragments.

It seemed as if some creature had died here, and over time, most of its bones had decayed, leaving only these five standing upright. However, they were likely decaying as well, as the quest reward clearly stated they were decaying bones.

Dismounting.

Approaching the large pit and stepping on the rocks at the bottom, Liszt walked step by step toward the bones.

The closer he got to the bones, the more he felt his own insignificance, as if standing in front of a massive stone pillar. He reached out to touch the surface of the bone, which was as hard as rock, and knocked on it, hearing a sound similar to that of stone.

Using the Magic Eye, he observed the five bones and the fragments scattered all over the ground.

He found no traces of magic.

"Has this bone become fossilized?"

But he quickly shook his head in denial; fossils were usually integrated with stone, while this bone was clearly partially exposed.

"Teacher Marcus, have you examined the bone fragments on the ground?"

"Hard, suitable for making fine bone artifacts." Marcus's brief response indicated the quality of the bones, suggesting they were at least from a low-level magical beast.

Tap, tap, tap!

Liszt knocked on the bone again. Apart from being stunned, he was left puzzled, unsure of the purpose of the five bones rewarded from the smoke task.

"Could it be that knowing my territory lacks iron, I'm supposed to crush these and take them back to craft fine bone artifacts?"