Chapter 260: The Spirit of the Sea

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The midnight clock of Longtaro Castle struck twelve, announcing the official passing of January 1st, Year 152 of the Sapphire Calendar.

Lying in bed, Liszt called out the Smoke Task with an eager heart.

Sure enough, the task was completed after the New Year's celebration.

"Task completed, reward: Sea Elf - Siren."

"Huh?"

"What is this..."

All of Liszt's drowsiness vanished, leaving only a barely contained excitement: "A sea elf? A siren? Isn't this a legendary creature!"

Sirens, legendary creatures of the sea, appear in knightly novels second only to mermaids. In most knightly novels, sirens are depicted as benevolent beings with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a sea serpent. In a few knightly novels, sirens are portrayed as evil beings that lure and kill sailors at sea.

Unlike mermaids, who represent romantic figures of the sea in knightly novels; or the evil sea devils known as nagas in folklore; or the hybrid creatures known as fishmen, created by ancient mages in some magic books.

Sirens have a wide market among sailors.

Many sailors swear they heard ethereal singing on the high seas during their voyages, which entranced them. Many sailors even claim that their ships were lost at sea and found their way back thanks to the guidance of a siren's song.

Liszt had no doubt about the existence of sirens. If ghost ships could exist, why would sirens be any more surprising?

Even mermaids, nagas, and fishmen, he did not doubt their existence.

On the contrary, he was very excited. In knightly novels, most sirens are depicted as beautiful women with enchanting voices. The Smoke Task referred to the siren as a sea elf, clearly indicating that real sirens are benevolent beings with extraordinary powers.

"A siren, I'm actually going to be rewarded with a siren? I wonder what it looks like... Does it have reproductive organs like humans?"

He rubbed his chin, his expression somewhat lecherous.

After thinking for a while, he couldn't come up with what kind of strange form it might have: "It probably doesn't look like a normal human, considering the lower body is usually described as that of a sea serpent... Perhaps, it has a structure similar to a dolphin?" He had read news stories before about humans and dolphins.

"Stop!"

Liszt stopped his lecherous thoughts. He preferred to believe that sirens were genderless. The Smoke Task used the term "sea elf," and elves are typically genderless beings.

He organized his scattered thoughts.

Liszt called out the Smoke Task again, not having checked the new task yet.

"Task: At the beginning of the new year, snow still covers Flower Town, but new life is already being nurtured. The mother Tupo is about to give birth. To ensure future combat strength, please feed the Tupo pups with Flower Town's specialty milk until they open their eyes. Reward: Mutated Tupo."

"Mutated Tupo?"

Liszt was captivated by the task content: "Feed them with dragon breed cow's milk until they open their eyes? This means that if I feed Hiddleston and Tupo's offspring with dragon breed cow's milk, they can undergo mutation? They might even grow into intermediate-grade magical beasts like Hiddleston?"

He had high hopes for Tupo's offspring.

Now it seemed there was a significant chance to cultivate these Tupo pups into intermediate-grade magical beasts.

Thinking about a future army of intermediate-grade magical beast Tupos, such a luxurious lineup would make even the Sapphire Duke's Blue Blood Knights hesitate, with a barrage of rock spikes piercing through them all.

At this thought, he wished he could immediately return to Flower Town to take care of the soon-to-be-born Tupo pups.

But it wasn't possible yet. There was a ball the day after tomorrow that he needed to attend, arranged by Marquis Merlin to find suitable marriage partners for the three siblings and their cousin Rolly. Marquis Merlin, being old and perhaps bored, had taken up the role of matchmaker.

Levis didn't care much about it; he was still pursuing the daughter of Marquis Rodric.

Lvera was full of anticipation, and Rolly was eager. Before updating the task, Liszt was also looking forward to seeing Athena Salmon again, the first girl in the world to express her love to him, leaving a deep impression.

But now, he just wanted to get through these two days and go home as soon as possible.

"I miss my siren."

...

"Parris, how many egg rolls did you bring? Why haven't you finished them after so many days?" After finishing his martial arts training downstairs, Liszt ran into Parris, who was aimlessly wandering around.

This Black Dragon Servant, supposedly protecting him, had nothing to do in Longtaro Castle and spent her days wandering aimlessly.

Or she was forcibly dragged by Lvera to practice and bond.

"There aren't many left. Thankfully, we're going back tomorrow. If I stay any longer in Longtaro Castle, I'll starve to death."

"You mean 'starve to death'?" Liszt's gaze swept over her curvaceous figure, noticing that she had become even more voluptuous than before. "A gentle suggestion: try to eat fewer snacks. You'll gain weight, which will affect your performance."

Under Liszt's scrutiny, Parris suddenly felt a bit flustered, her eyes darting away, and her tone becoming much gentler: "My Lord Baron, do you prefer slender girls?"

"Huh?"

Liszt thought, "Trouble," and then said sternly, "No, I only like myself." With that, he tugged at the ruffled collar of his neck, took long strides, and turned to enter Longtaro Castle.

Parris stood there with her mouth agape, unsure of what to say.

The ball started at five o'clock in the afternoon.

It wasn't time yet.

Many carriages were parked at the entrance, and many young nobles had already arrived at Longtaro Castle, men and women dressed in splendid formal attire, like peacocks displaying their feathers.

Liszt was also refreshed.

The well-fitted Flak Abbie accentuated his demeanor perfectly. The fabric of his outfit was red with an abstract Longtaro symbol embroidered on it. This was a noble tradition, where one's family emblem would be embroidered on clothing as a pattern.

The clothes were from the Castle of Longtaro, naturally embroidered with the Longtaro emblem.

Overall, they were extremely elegant.

The elegant formal attire, paired with his tall stature, mature and steady demeanor, and handsome face, made him the focal point wherever he stood.

For instance, when he stood by the window in the corridor, a servant would approach from afar with a tray of drinks: "Young Master Liszt, would you like some?"

"Thank you."

Liszt picked up a glass of champagne.

Champagne is a type of wine, and during festive occasions, people enjoy it the most. However, true champagne is hard to come by, as according to the laws of the Grand Duchy of Sapphire, only champagne produced on Blue Dragon Island can be called true champagne; the rest are simply wines.

The production of champagne on Blue Dragon Island is very low, supplying only nobles of the rank of count and above.

Whether it tasted good or not, Liszt wasn't quite sure, as he didn't like drinking.

Shaking the golden champagne, his gaze turned towards the newly arrived carriage.