Chapter 254: Tom Hiddleston supports Liszt

The day before the New Year's Festival, the three siblings finally arrived at Longtaro Castle under the escort of the Knight Squad from Red Crab Island. The news of their encounter with the ghost ship had been swiftly relayed to Marquis Merlin.

"Levis, Lvera, Liszt, I'm relieved to see you all safe and sound. You can't imagine how worried I was when I heard about the ghost ship."

Meopo rode his horse far out from Longtaro Castle to greet the three siblings. Upon seeing them, he kept saying, "Grandfather, Father, and Mother were all deeply concerned for your safety. If we had known you would encounter such an incredible existence as a ghost ship, we should have sent our family fleet to fetch you."

Whether it was noble courtesy or genuine emotion, Meopo's attitude moved the three siblings.

The unpleasantness of encountering the ghost ship dissipated significantly. This was a disaster that could not be predicted or avoided by human effort; they could only consider themselves unlucky and not blame others.

Moreover, they had suffered no real harm.

The atmosphere returned to its usual harmony.

At the grand entrance of Longtaro Castle, Liszt met his uncle and aunt. Uncle Mexiro was a tall, slender man, handsome and dashing, bearing a resemblance to Melissa's portrait in Tulip Castle. Aunt, though she had developed crow's feet, remained a graceful and distinguished lady.

"Young Liszt has grown up. You've inherited all of Melissa's best qualities and are even more handsome than your cousin," Aunt said warmly.

Liszt bowed in gratitude, used to being complimented on his looks.

Meopo spread his hands and said, "Mother, please praise others behind my back; this will hurt my confidence."

Mexiro, seeing that everyone had greeted each other, said, "Don't stand outside chatting. Come in; your grandfather is waiting for you. He heard about the ghost ship incident and is worried about you."

Entering the magnificent Longtaro Castle,

The three siblings naturally went to pay their respects to the castle's master, one of the seven marquises of the duchy, Marquis Merlin. Leaning on a cane, Marquis Merlin was walking in the castle's corridor. Once a sky knight who soared through the skies, he now looked like any ordinary elderly person.

"Grandfather," the three siblings called out.

Marquis Merlin pushed away the servant who tried to support him, his expression as stern as ever: "Yes, you're here. I know about the ghost ship. Were you frightened?"

"Of course not. With a sword in hand and martial aura in body, what can a ghost ship do?" Levis boasted immediately, though it wasn't entirely boasting.

He had shown enough courage when facing danger on the ship, which was commendable.

At least Liszt had come to recognize Levis's bravery. At the time, Levis not only did not flee but also cared deeply for his sister and brother's safety, showing the responsibility of an older brother.

"Well said. With martial aura and a sword, along with a warhorse and lance, a knight is invincible," Marquis Merlin extended his hand and patted Levis's shoulder heavily. "It's a pity that in nearly forty years of sailing the Azure Sea, I never encountered a ghost ship. It's quite regrettable."

While others might try to avoid it, Marquis Merlin felt regret.

The perspective brought by different levels of strength indeed varied. Perhaps the ghost ship was not a rare occurrence to Marquis Merlin.

At his level, his understanding of the world was undoubtedly deeper.

After finishing his words, he turned to Mexiro and said, "Have you made the arrangements? Send the fleet and the knight squad from Red Crab Island to patrol the seas and find the ghost ship. Capture it if possible, and destroy it if not."

"I have already informed Count Schalke to lead the investigation and invited Great Mage Okto to accompany him."

"Do not hesitate. Patrol the entire sea between Red Crab Island and Coral Island! Any pirates or ghost ships must be eliminated. I don't care if it's a natural disaster or a conspiracy; the wrath of Longtaro Castle must be unleashed!" the marquis said calmly.

Mexiro nodded hastily, "Father, rest assured. I will instruct Count Schalke carefully."

"No, have Schalke come see me first."

"Yes, sir."

After arranging the matters concerning the ghost ship, the marquis said to the three siblings, "Forget about the ghost ship. Celebrate the New Year's Festival well at Longtaro Castle. Your Aunt Melinda will bring her two boys over tomorrow. Young people always find ways to have fun together."

"Sure, Grandfather."

Aunt came over and said, "The living room has been set up with tea and snacks. Father, take the children to the living room to chat. The corridor is cold."

"Don't treat me like a useless old man. My martial aura still burns within me," Marquis Merlin said, though he did not refuse the suggestion. Surrounded by the three siblings, he returned to the living room.

Sipping warm milk tea, they chatted casually.

Aunt was a talkative lady, always leading the conversation and inquiring about the three siblings' progress.

Liszt inevitably spoke about his Flower Town, briefly mentioning some of its developments, such as the production of floral soap, the extraction of seafood oyster sauce, and the birth of the thorn sprite Jie La.

Marquis Merlin enjoyed listening to these stories and said solemnly, "To have a magic potion-producing sprite, Liszt, is a blessing of knightly glory. But you must also strive. Being a sky knight is not just your brother's goal; it should be yours as well."

"Grandfather, I understand. My talent may be average, but my vision is not narrow."

At this moment, Meopo suddenly interjected, "Grandfather, you might not know, but Liszt has brought a mid-level magical beast as a pet!"

"A mid-level magical beast as a pet?"

"It's Hiddleston, a wild dog I raised from a young age. By chance, it ate a bloodline fruit and evolved into a mid-level magical beast, but it can only cast one spell."

"Bring it here for me to see."

Due to Marquis Merlin's mobility issues, Liszt had the servant Thomas bring Hiddleston to the living room. Fortunately, the living room of Longtaro Castle was large, so Hiddleston's massive size was not conspicuous.

"Woof woof!"

Hiddleston came to Liszt's side, wagging its tail obediently. It had learned to ignore any humans and move freely in any setting.

"What a huge black dog," Aunt exclaimed, clearly a well-bred lady who had lived a life of luxury and probably rarely saw wild magical beasts, let alone eaten their meat. "It's bigger than a tiger and is as obedient as a dog. Liszt, how did you tame it?"

Liszt smiled, proud of Hiddleston: "I raised it like a dog. If it misbehaves, I use a whip; if it behaves, I reward it with meat."

"Raising a magical beast like a dog is incredible. Liszt, you've made me lose all my fear of magical beasts," Meopo said dramatically.

Mexiro nodded in approval, "In terms of size, it qualifies as a mid-level magical beast, much larger than an ordinary wild dog."

"On Coral Island, no one is more favored by knightly glory than Liszt. He's a lucky guy," Levis said enviously, looking at Hiddleston with longing.

Marquis Merlin merely glanced at Hiddleston. He had seen countless magical beasts and no shortage of high-level ones.

However, he held a high opinion of Liszt's methods of raising them: "You have a great deal of insight into raising magical beasts. Sometimes we exaggerate their cunning and danger; in fact, they are merely beasts with a bit of magic... You should train it more on how to cooperate with knights. In the future, on the battlefield, it could wield power comparable to that of a sky knight."