Chapter 350 You are someone I trust

"Cris, I need to go back and think about the message you brought. Please rest well. There are farmers arranged outside the door to take care of you. If you have any needs, you can tell them."

Liszt left a message and hurriedly left the room.

First, he had his personal guard Parris called over.

"Lord Baron, what is it?" Parris's forehead was damp with sweat, evidently from her earlier rigorous training. She had recently decided to learn mana, hoping to combine it with the power of the Black Dragon Specter to boost her strength.

"I rescued a magician, you know about it."

"Cris Truth. I visited her. She's as frail as an ordinary person... Honestly, I'm quite disappointed. If I became a magician, I’d likely end up just like her."

Of course, that’s not true. There’s a huge difference in our physiques and appearances.

The thought crossed Liszt's mind but quickly faded. He wasn’t in the mood for distractions: "She brought a message that is hard to verify. I need time to think about it, so during this period, I hope you can secretly monitor her actions."

"Hard to verify? Lord Baron, do you need me to interrogate her? I'm quite skilled in interrogation techniques." Parris raised an eyebrow.

"No need. She plans to stay in Flower Town to work for me, and she might become the magician in my service. I'm a bit anxious about the message she brought and need time to digest it. Parris, once I've thought it through, I'll need your input since you're someone I trust."

He placed his hand on Parris's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.

Parris's breath hitched slightly, but she maintained her bright smile: "Lord Baron, you know I can’t say no."

"I'm counting on you, Parris." Liszt withdrew his hand and left, leaving a tall, straight back that Parris gazed at for a long time.

...

Back in the castle's study, Liszt didn't allow anyone to disturb him as he pondered alone.

What lay before him was a precarious situation—small or large—a situation that, if it remained unresolved, would be normal, but if it erupted, it would cause a massive earthquake in the Sapphire Duchy.

The words spoken by Cris Truth were hard to verify.

Although she spoke sincerely, with relatively coherent logic, much of the content connected with the information Liszt had, without any obvious loopholes. Besides, there was no reason for her to design such a lie after being soaked in the sea and falling into a week-long coma to deceive a countryside baron.

If what she said was true.

Then, the dragon slaying of the Sapphire Dragon might have already happened.

"The Magic Goat family has been extinct for over a hundred years, so why are they still stirring trouble? The previous Marquis Cohen and Curtis Truth wanted to help Anut become the Lord of Dragon Domain; now, the Goat Council is coaxing Bull Marquis to become a lich, to assassinate the Sapphire Dragon."

What could they possibly have against the Sapphire Dragon?

Assuming Cris's words were true, there were two possible outcomes—either Bull Marquis succeeded in dragon slaying, or he failed.

"If he fails, it would be a good outcome. The Bull Marquis's family would certainly be exterminated, Iron Horse Island would turn to nothing, and it would be consumed by the wrath of the Sapphire Duke. But at least the country would remain stable, and Coral Island would be spared the worst of it."

One island, one marquis. The large islands of the Sapphire Duchy can only support seven marquises.

Adding one more marquis would require piecing together small islands to make up the fief area, which would be troublesome to manage and govern, so making room by eliminating a marquis would be the quickest solution.

Most counts would likely welcome the fall of the Bull Marquis.

"But Anut of Sapphire, who grew up in the palace, must have had close ties with the Sapphire Dragon and is a trusted companion of the Duke. There’s little defense against him... He’s been preparing for so long, and including the previous Bull Marquis, they’ve had at least thirty years of preparation. Could it really fail so easily?"

Over thirty years ago, the Goat Council successfully connected with the previous Bull Marquis.

They had the Bull Marquis protect the remaining members of the Magic Goat family who had participated in the palace coup. Clearly, there was a secret deal involving the lich transformation technique.

So, it can basically be determined that more than thirty years ago, the Bull family had been plotting to capture or kill the Sapphire Dragon.

Liszt's eyes wandered uncertainly.

He wasn't entirely sure what made dragons so extraordinary, but from the residual magic of the Fire Dragon, the smoke mission influenced by the Invisible Dragon, and the spatial gem of the Invisible Dragon, he could barely catch a glimpse of their wonders. The Sapphire Dragon was certainly not something ordinary humans could easily hunt, let alone with the multiple layers of protection from the Sapphire Family.

However.

A marquis, coupled with a magician organization, and over thirty years of preparation across two generations, couldn't be taken lightly.

"If the Bull Marquis accomplishes this, and the Sapphire Dragon falls, then... the Sapphire Duchy will likely cease to exist."

The country was established because of the dragon, and it would also be destroyed because of the dragon.

Without the dragon suppressing the fate of the country, the Sapphire Family's sword saints wouldn't be able to protect the wealth accumulated over more than a hundred years.

"If the Bull Marquis successfully slays the dragon, how would Coral Island respond to this, and how should I handle it?"

The answer to this question had too many possibilities.

There were opportunities, but also dangers. Liszt couldn't make an accurate prediction, which made him feel uneasy. He preferred a steady, predictable path and disliked unexpected disruptions. Now, with Flower Town and Black Horse Island thriving, as long as he was given time to develop, riding a dragon was just a matter of time.

"I hate this feeling of having no control over the future..." Accustomed to the clear choices the smoke mission provided about fate, Liszt now felt panicked.

He wanted to talk to someone.

Marcus? Marcus was an elite Earth Knight aspiring to nobility, but he lacked a broad perspective. Gort? Gort was a down-on-his-luck knight; this news would likely terrify him. Isaiah, Zanbuluota, Charles, Rick, and others were not suitable to discuss such a matter with.

Parris? While she had faced a real dragon, Parris was essentially a woman of average intellect. Acheronides? The mermaid was as innocent as a blank slate; she probably didn't even know what politics was.

Housekeeper Carter?

Without a doubt, the person he trusted most in Flower Town was Housekeeper Carter.

He enjoyed ending a day's work and hiding in the study with Carter, drinking New Moon wine, discussing the affairs of the castle, town, and Black Horse Island. While Carter could help with local matters, national affairs were beyond his expertise.

After much thought, there was no one to confide in or discuss with.

"It seems that today... no, after careful consideration tonight, I'll head to Tulip Castle first thing tomorrow. The dragon-slaying event is crucial to the family's fate; I need to discuss it carefully with the count."