Chapter 475: Flying to the Blue Sky and White Clouds

The news of Liszt's imminent promotion to sky knight following his battle with the Earl quickly spread throughout the Tulip fleet. Eunas, Trick, and others directly inquired Liszt and received affirmative answers.

"Incredible, Viscount Liszt, you are ahead of all of us."

"I'm just one step ahead."

"Viscount Liszt, I am destined to never become a sky knight in my lifetime, perhaps this is the gap between bloodlines. You have inherited the noble blood of the Earl and Marquis Merlin."

"I think so too, my family has given me the foundation, and I have utilized all my talents."

He brushed off the flattery and moved on.

Liszt set aside his pride and continued to immerse himself in training. His supply of magic elixirs was running low, but fortunately, the Earl understood his current predicament and sent him a batch of elixirs made from black tulips—of course, these were not free but had to be paid for.

He now accepted all resources, as the nascent magic seed within his heart could absorb any amount of magic elixirs.

He also heavily consumed the meat from hunted Windblade Wolves and black bat monsters. Along with the brewed dried milk powder and the dwindling food in the gem space, he just managed to meet his nutritional needs. The amount of food he consumed alone surpassed what two Hiddleston could eat.

In quality, it even surpassed what the entire Blizzard Beast team consumed.

"Sustaining a sky knight like myself isn't difficult, but raising a dragon... I can't imagine the amount of nutrition required once the magic seed fully sprouts!"

Fortunately, those issues could be left for future consideration, as he could still afford to sustain himself for now.

As his mana continued to develop, when they sailed to Iron Hoof Island to restock supplies, he was nearly ready to complete the transformation, with his intermediate mana about to become advanced. Each time he trained on the deck, he felt on the verge of soaring into the sky.

Yet, he remained just one step away.

"What’s it like to be a sky knight?" Parris, his personal guard—a black dragon wraith and a light magician—asked curiously.

"I’m not there yet, so I can’t fully describe the realm of a sky knight, but the feeling of being able to fly as a sky knight is very wonderful." Liszt stepped onto the harbor of Ox Hoof City, feeling a satisfying sense of homecoming.

Departing in early October and returning home in mid-December, the two-month-long war brought about many changes and emotions.

"I wish I could cultivate mana as well; I too yearn for the sky." Parris, following Liszt's words, also had many sentiments.

"Find and tame a flying monster, and you’ll experience the thrill of soaring through the sky."

"Will your mount, the land bird Loki, evolve to fly?" Parris suddenly asked, "It’s growing larger, and its wings are lengthening, as if ready to take flight at any moment."

"I too look forward to when it can fly."

As they chatted.

Parris added with a hint of melancholy, "Your cultivation speed is so fast that even if I transformed into a black dragon wraith now, I wouldn’t match you. My role as a guard has lost much of its significance."

"Your role still matters; your ability to become invisible is invaluable for gathering battlefield intelligence. However, as a woman, living with us knights on the battlefield is indeed inconvenient." Liszt turned to look at Parris and said seriously, "From now on, stay in the territory, patiently study light magic, and also take on the role of guarding Black Horse Island, protecting the territory's safety."

"Let me guard Black Horse Island?"

"Yes, I plan to establish a permanent patrol knight squad stationed on Black Horse Island, with you as the captain. In the future, you can follow the official path, for yourself and for your sister, you should strive towards becoming a noble."

"A noble..."

Parris was silent for a moment but eventually nodded, "Do I need to pledge my allegiance to you?"

Liszt nodded, "If you want to integrate into Black Horse Island, pledging your allegiance to me is the most appropriate way."

"Alright." After serious consideration, she made her decision, "What I once despised the most, besides magicians, were nobles... I never thought I would not only become a magician but also strive to become a noble... Viscount, I will pledge my allegiance to you when I return to Flower Town."

"We've known each other for so long, there's no need for formalities. You can swear fealty to me whenever you're ready."

This decision marked a complete shift in status.

What was once a mercenary-employer relationship would now be a follower-lord dynamic, meaning her once rebellious will had finally bowed to the world's strict knightly hierarchy.

...

After replenishing supplies, they set sail again.

On the third day of the voyage, while meditating and cultivating, Liszt suddenly opened his eyes. Just a second before, the mana within him had finally completed its transformation. In that moment, he felt all his mana ignite in an instant, burning along his meridians, from his pores to his cell nuclei.

The flames connected as one, and the mana became a unified whole.

With a slight movement, he felt as light as a swallow. He strode out of the cabin and, under the gaze of Hiddleston and the eight little ones, slammed his foot down on the deck.

In the next second.

He shot into the sky like a rocket, mana bursting from within, allowing his body to overcome gravity and climb higher and higher. The wind roared in his ears, and as he looked down slightly, he saw the once-mighty the Tulip ship become tiny, along with the many other ships around it.

"Good thing I don't have a fear of heights... If there were a sky knight with acrophobia, they'd be completely incapacitated." Liszt continued to channel his mana while soaring.

He had studied the advanced mana manual "Red Sun Rising, Fire Burning" and could recite it backwards.

This advanced mana manual not only introduced the circulation of mana but also how to use advanced mana to soar into the sky and release sword techniques mid-air. He only needed to follow the unique mana channels recorded in the manual, and his body could glide steadily.

When the duration of mana circulation reached its limit, he immediately stopped it, entered free-fall, and then initiated a new mana pathway.

His body arrested its fall and glided towards another sailboat.

Boom!

Upon landing, mana gathered at his feet, allowing him to land firmly on the deck. However, he didn't manage the immense impact well, shattering the deck and causing the ship to shake violently.

"Lord Viscount!" The knights on the ship hurried to the bow deck, exclaimed in astonishment.

"Don't be nervous, I was just cultivating. Return to your posts." He smiled faintly, leaped gracefully, and ascended skyward once more.

Leaving a group of knights gaping in wonder.

"My God, Viscount Liszt has truly ascended as a sky knight!"

"A seventeen-year-old sky knight, the bloodline of the Tulip family, radiant with power!"

"Strong, handsome, blessed by the glory of knighthood, no one is nobler than Lord Viscount Liszt, the scion of glory I've beheld with my own eyes."

"The second sky knight of Coral Island."

"Who could have foreseen this moment two years prior?"

"Here stands a true noble, a veritable genius!"