Chapter 243: Sending Goose Feathers from 0 Miles

Tupo's status in Flower Town was pitiful. Ever since she was captured, she had not only been used as a breeding machine for Hiddleston but also kept in secret confinement, her wild nature long since eroded, leaving only servility.

This was a desecration of life, a suppression of nature.

If there were any small animal protection organizations on the island, Liszt would undoubtedly be nailed to the pillar of shame, subjected to public condemnation. Unfortunately, there were none, and humans had no sympathy for magical beasts—weren't they born to be killed for meat and gold coins?

The snow in the dog prison was thick, and no one had come to clear it in the past few days.

Although Tupo no longer cast spells and had almost forgotten about the Rock Spike, she remained a significant threat to ordinary people.

"Lord, will it really not kill me?" Old Defoe trembled as he followed Liszt into the dog prison. "I, I, I'll just watch from outside the prison."

"Don't be nervous, Old Defoe. With me here, what do you have to fear!" Liszt said gently. "This time, I want you to observe closely and determine Tupo's approximate due date... Don't be nervous, see, I'm standing here; has Tupo made any dangerous moves?"

Old Defoe tried to take a step, but his legs wouldn't obey: "Lord, Lord, pregnant animals can become enraged when strangers approach."

"Tupo won't."

"I, I..."

Smack!

Liszt, losing his patience, kicked Old Defoe's buttocks with his boot: "If you don't go up and observe, go straight to my squire and receive a hundred lashes!"

A hundred lashes could kill even a strong man.

Old Defoe stumbled, finally overcoming his fear of Tupo, and cautiously began examining her condition around the cage.

Tupo turned her head, looking at Old Defoe, her mouth slightly open, emitting a low growl.

Liszt casually threw a piece of dried meat inside. In the next moment, the growling Tupo began wagging her tail and chewing the meat. Hiddleston, outside the cage, extended its paw, eager to snatch the meat—it had never known what it meant to cherish anything.

After a while,

Old Defoe gave his conclusion based on his observations: "Lord, judging from Tupo's body changes and the wetness in her private area, she is not yet ready to give birth. It will likely take another half a month of gestation. However, I cannot guarantee that she won't give birth prematurely."

Ordinary dogs usually give birth after two months of pregnancy, and although Tupo is a magical beast with a longer gestation period, she is still a dog, so it shouldn't be much longer.

Old Defoe, with years of experience raising dogs, was well-versed in their pregnancies and births, but with magical beasts, he could only guess and not guarantee.

Liszt had a rough idea in mind.

What worried him most was the first person Tupo's offspring would see upon opening their eyes. Hiddleston was so loyal because the first person it saw was Liszt.

If Tupo gave birth ten days later, Liszt could return from Red Crab Island before the puppies opened their eyes.

Otherwise, he would miss the time when the puppies opened their eyes, and the first person they would see would likely be Tupo. While they could be trained from a young age, their loyalty could not be fully guaranteed. Liszt disliked this kind of uncertain loyalty; with humans, he could use interests or family ties to bind them, but with magical beasts, recognition of a master was the only way to control them.

For example, Marcus, whose family lived in Flower Town, was trusted by Liszt because the cost of his betrayal was too high for him to bear.

In general, these officials and knights found it difficult to betray the Tulip family on Coral Island.

Another example was Parris, who had a sister, Maggie, as leverage. As long as Mrs. Harriet's family could establish an unbreakable bond with Maggie, Parris would find it hard to betray. Of course, there was still a risk of betrayal, and building true trust would take time.

As a Black Dragon Servant, she had significant research value, making it worth the risk for Liszt to keep her close and study her later.

After instructing the servants to thoroughly clean the dog prison, Liszt led Hiddleston away, reluctantly leaving Tupo behind.

...

He could only stay in Flower Town for one night.

The *Flower* was still docked at Black Horse Island, so Liszt couldn't retrieve his Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, which made him very uncomfortable. He should have asked Granny Truth to craft another Sea-Stabilizing Pearl long ago; sailing without it always felt unsafe.

Upon arriving at Tulip Castle, he met Ranieri, the deputy steward of Longtaro Castle.

Ranieri had elegant curls and spoke with the most fashionable steel accent of the upper class, more standard than Liszt: "Young Master Liszt, Ranieri greets you."

"Mr. Ranieri, how is my grandfather's health?"

"The master can already walk, but he suffered serious injuries in his youth that left hidden ailments. Even advanced martial qi cannot heal them, severely affecting his health," Ranieri said solemnly. As a veteran sky knight, Merlin Longtaro had fought countless battles in his youth, sustaining numerous injuries.

While martial qi could heal physical wounds, severe internal injuries to the organs were difficult to mend through martial qi, which was better suited for healing external injuries.

"I believe my grandfather's boundless strength will overcome any hidden ailments and restore his health."

"Thank you for your blessings; we all share this belief."

After greeting Ranieri, Liszt found Levis and Lvera and inquired about their gift arrangements. As the heir to Tulip Castle, Levis naturally had a large number of gifts, all of which were high-end and valuable, including a gift from the Earl to his father-in-law.

Lvera's gifts were much lighter, simple tokens of affection. As a female noble, she could not be faulted for sending fewer gifts.

"Let me see your gifts—Flower Soap and Flower Oyster Sauce? And this is egg roll, bread, and longevity noodles?" Lvera checked the weight of the gifts for Liszt. "What are longevity noodles?"

"They are very long noodles. Oh, I forgot you don't know what noodles are. They are a new food invented by Mrs. Abby. Long strands of dough cooked in water with seasonings and two eggs make a very delicious dish. The long noodles symbolize longevity."

"Very creative. I'm truly envious of having a chef like Mrs. Abby. My chef can only make bread and hasn't even learned to fry eggs. But don't you think these gifts are too light? Your grandfather once gave you a gemstone weapon. Are the gifts you're sending worth one gold coin?"

"Probably... two gold coins." After Lvera pointed this out, Liszt began to feel ashamed. These gifts, while described as specialties, could also be seen as cheap local goods.

After some thought, he added, "I'll include a black pearl."

A fist-sized black pearl could be crafted into a defensive magic item, worth hundreds of gold coins. This way, his gifts had both sentiment and value, no longer seeming meager.

"You have so many good things," Lvera said with a hint of envy. "Your grandfather might sense your sincerity and give you another gemstone equipment. But he always gives me new styles of clothing for noble ladies... I can make my own clothes!"