Chapter 508: The Wandering of an Old Friend

After a year of intense training, she became an Earth Knight.

Emily's talent is beyond doubt, even the Smoke Task was amazed by it. Liszt already had plans for her training. He planned to train Emily as a future Sky Knight, as she possessed such talent and could advance to Sky Knight at the appropriate age.

There are no female Dragon Knights in this world, but there are quite a few female Sky Knights, though none have yet appeared in the Sapphire Duchy.

Women are naturally disadvantaged in the training system, and most noblewomen need to bear the responsibility of childbirth, which delays their training. As pawns in marriage alliances, their families do not invest much in their training. Even the two daughters of the Sapphire Duchy did not receive much training resources, possibly because they never considered how to train.

After all, training is no easy task; it requires enduring much hardship, unlike the ease of being a noble lady, dancing and engaging in romance.

"Emily, I’m proud you became an Earth Knight in just a year."

"My lord, I must work even harder."

"Hard work is essential. You’re a commoner and a woman; only through hard work can you reach greater heights. You are a follower I admire, possessing great talent. I can gather resources to train you. But if you lack the desire to grow stronger, no one can guarantee your future."

Emily replied earnestly, "Please rest assured, my lord, I will redouble my efforts and never disappoint you!"

"Take a break these next two days, strengthen your intermediate mana. I will select suitable thunder attribute mana manuals for you and also improve your nutritional standards."

"Thank you, my lord!"

The twelve-year-old soon left the apple tree.

Seeing her graceful figure, Liszt couldn't help but feel a myriad of emotions: "The territory’s power keeps growing, I am progressing, and others are also progressing... Acheronides and Cris have both become great magicians, and Emily has become an Earth Knight."

In a viscount's territory, the emergence of two great magicians and one Sky Knight is an unprecedented strength.

A moment later.

After feeding the Mini Charmander and seeing the empty Fire Dragon jar, Liszt began to feel wistful.

Now, only some volcanic glass on Black Horse Island remains untapped, at most, yielding three more jars of Fire Dragon mana, which will then be completely exhausted.

If the Mini Charmander continues to consume Fire Dragon mana, the only option will be to use Fire Dragon mana from the Fire Drake brick factories and glass workshops. However, he’s hesitant to stop operations of the Fire Drake brick factories and glass workshops, even though he has ordered workers to experiment with high-temperature charcoal furnaces.

Preparing for the eventual shortage of Fire Dragon mana.

After all, for the sake of riding a dragon, Liszt would spare no expense. Once the Fire Dragon is born, will there be a shortage of Fire Dragon mana?

...

A day later.

When Gort got the letter and announced Liszt's appointment of Charles Trapp as the head of the security regiment, the Smoke Task was completed.

"Mission completed, reward 'Elkson Truth's Herbal Classification'."

In the afternoon, Elkson Truth, back from out of town, brought the latest batch of magic books and three simple common magics he had painstakingly found. After obtaining the desired reward, he hurriedly left Flower Town, ready to enjoy himself in Coral City’s brothels.

Thus, Liszt easily found the book 'Elkson Truth's Herbal Classification' among the pile of magic books.

"A book on herbs?" Liszt flipped through the pages and became interested upon seeing the content. "This magician named Elkson Truth, instead of studying magic power, researches herbs that can cure and save lives. He seems like a scholar similar to Li Shizhen."

Li Shizhen compiled the great work of traditional Chinese medicine 'Compendium of Materia Medica', known as the Sage of Medicine.

Elkson Truth's 'Herbal Classification', although rich in content, obviously cannot compare to the 'Compendium of Materia Medica'. From the records in the table of contents, it lists about one hundred and twenty herbs, accompanied by illustrations. Compared to the thousands of drugs in the 'Compendium of Materia Medica', it seems quite meager.

In this world, it is already a significant advancement, as in a society supported by magic power, knights and magicians have no motivation to study medicine.

The bodies of knights and magicians are constantly enhanced by their magic power, making them resistant to illness. As for the commoners, the noble knights and magicians couldn’t care less about their lives. Only Liszt, with his modern sensibilities, genuinely cared about the commoners’ well-being. By chance, he met a magician who shared his concern for the commoners and had authored this medical-themed magic book.

He summoned the squire knight Philip and said, "Take this magic book to Advisor Gort. Have him arrange for copies to be made and include it in the curriculum of the craftsman’s academy at the knight’s college as a teaching material."

"Yes, my lord."

Philip accepted the order and left, though the cover of the magic book he carried was already torn. Next, Liszt retreated to his study and meticulously tore the covers of the remaining magic books, searching for hidden mana techniques.

Once he confirmed that none of the magic books held any hidden mana secrets, he then halfheartedly immersed himself in a new serpentine smoke task.

"It’s both amusing and bittersweet—this serpentine smoke task is a true reflection of my inner thoughts. The scene I had imagined just days ago had now materialized as a task."

He stared at the shifting serpentine smoke, his expression uneasy.

"Task: Lee William is a mountain in your heart waiting to be conquered. Though you’re still young, your strength is no longer lacking. Master the 'Crimson Sunflare Surge,' defeat Lee William, and witness the look on his face. Reward: The return of an old friend."

Though awkward, the task aligned perfectly with his own ambitions.

On Coral Island, the only worthy opponent who could accept his challenge was the Earl. Of the five techniques in 'Crimson Sunflare Surge'—Full Wheel of the Red Sun, Rising Sun, Scorching Sun Stab, Setting Sun, and Burning Red Glow—he had yet to master the final move, Burning Red Glow.

He could issue the challenge at any moment.

"But what does 'the return of an old friend' mean?" Liszt was puzzled. Since his arrival, he hadn’t made many friends in the past two years, only accumulating followers.

However, his predecessor did have some friends.

Most of these friends had settled on Black Horse Island and joined his ranks. The few who hadn’t joined him weren’t even worth considering as friends.

"I have no old friends. If we’re talking about past loves, Duniko Hyacinth might count, but I heard she’s married now, the wife of an Earl’s son... Ronasa Goldenwheat remains unmarried, but the innocent love we once shared has faded with time."

He doubted either woman would rekindle any connection with him.

Nor could he think of any other old friends.

"Never mind—if I can’t figure it out, I won’t waste time on it. Once I challenge and defeat the Earl, the identity of this old friend will become clear."

He suddenly drew his Sky-Cleaving Greatsword, his heart burning with passion: "Train, grow stronger, I will become the strongest on Coral Island!"

The waves behind push the waves ahead, the waves ahead die on the beach!

Now.

Coral Island is about to enter the Liszt era!