Chapter 542: The Count’s Shock

The sound of hooves was rapid.

The towering Tulip Castle was already in sight. Marcus had lost count of how many times he had visited the grandest castle on Coral Island. Since joining Liszt, visiting Tulip Castle had become routine.

He walked onto the main road leading to the castle.

Soon, a patrol of knights came into view. The squad leader, clearly an acquaintance, greeted him from afar: "Captain Marcus."

"Captain Schuller."

After explaining his mission to deliver the message, the knights promptly escorted Marcus to the castle gate.

He had visited many times, each time noticing a shift in the knights' gazes. Initially, in Flower Town, he faced mostly mocking and disdainful looks, as everyone believed he was no longer a contender for nobility. Later, arriving with Hiddleston, he noticed some were surprised.

After Jie La's birth, he finally received looks of envy. The knights understood the significance of a spirit bug.

Then, after the Iron Hoof Island battle, Liszt's fame soared, and the knights' envy deepened; following the pioneering order, it turned to jealousy.

"After today, what kind of gaze will you cast upon me?" Marcus tried to stay composed, but he was so elated he felt like singing. Of course, he had never sung before, his personality was always serious and rigid, and no matter how rich his inner drama was, he was unwilling to show it.

He was greeted by the new deputy butler.

"Captain Marcus, what's the purpose of your visit today?"

"I have a message from the Lord for the Earl."

"Ah, a message from young master Liszt. Please wait in the living room while I inform the master." The deputy butler left for a moment and soon returned, "Captain Marcus, the master is in the study upstairs, please go there."

"Thank you."

At the study door, Marcus adjusted his attire. He still deeply respected the Earl. Upon entering, he promptly gave the knight's salute, "Marcus pays his respects to the Earl."

"Take a seat, Marcus." The Earl sat behind the desk, signaling Marcus to sit, then asked, "What's Liszt's message? Flower Town is so close to Tulip Castle; he could ride a land bird and be here in an hour, yet he sends a messenger."

"The Lord is occupied with urgent matters on Black Horse Island and couldn't come, so he sent me with the message."

"Alright, go ahead."

Marcus cleared his throat and spoke formally, "The Lord invites you and the lady to Flower Town on April 14th for the Grand Sprite's birth celebration."

"Hmm." The Earl paused, then after a moment, exclaimed, "What did you say? A Grand Sprite's birth celebration?"

"Indeed."

"Liszt has a Grand Sprite? Which spirit bug evolved—Jie La, Nami, or Mickey? Jie La and Mickey just evolved; it's unlikely they'd evolve again. Could it be the Red Tree Spirit Bug Nami?" The Earl was very clear about Liszt's spirit bugs.

"Earl, the Lord's contracted Grand Sprite is wild, not domesticated. It's a Giant Kelp Grand Sprite. The Lord personally dived into the sea, explored the Giant Kelp forest, discovered, and contracted it. Its name is Pyke."

After finishing, Marcus added a few more sentences, "Pyke was born in the Giant Kelp forest. Besides, the Lord also discovered and contracted three Giant Kelp Sprites, named Fizz, Tahm, and Eddie, as well as five Giant Kelp spirit bugs."

"A Grand Sprite, three Sprites, and five spirit bugs?" Even though he had experienced many storms, the Earl still opened his mouth wide. It took him a while to recover from the shock, "Marcus, tell me what Giant Kelp is, is there really a forest in the sea, and these spirit bugs are all in the sea?"

"Yes, Earl. Giant Kelp is a plant that grows on the seabed, tens or even hundreds of meters long. They grow densely together, like a vast underwater forest. Those Giant Kelp spirit bugs live in the Giant Kelp forest. Moreover, the Lord has discovered a large area of Magic Giant Kelp."

"Magic Giant Kelp?" The Earl exclaimed again.

It was rare for Marcus to see the usually lofty and authoritative Earl so out of sorts, but he dared not show any unusual expression, respectfully replying, "Yes, there is a large area of Magic Giant Kelp. The Lord has decided to expand the cultivation of Magic Giant Kelp in the sea, and let all Giant Kelp Worm Grass cultivate Magic Giant Kelp."

"Wait a moment."

The Earl waved his hand, then took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, he regained his composure and said calmly, "Sea spirits? That’s quite a surprising discovery. Contracting so many spirit bugs capable of cultivating magical herbs certainly calls for a celebration."

"The Lord eagerly awaits your and your wife’s arrival in Flower Town."

"No need to wait, I’ll head to Black Horse Island right away. By the way, where was the Giant Kelp Forest discovered?"

"On the shores of Black Horse Island."

"You must have others to notify, go ahead. On your way back, tell Liszt I’ll be heading to Black Horse Island the day after tomorrow to see the Giant Kelp Forest and the Grand Sprite Pyke myself."

"Yes, I’ll make sure to inform the Lord of your arrival."

Marcus bowed respectfully and took his leave from the study.

The study grew quiet.

The Earl leaned back in his chair, lost in deep contemplation. He had also once contracted a Grand Sprite, although now the Grand Sprite Xiang Xiang had been transferred to his son Levis. When he inherited the contract from his father Greg Tile, Xiang Xiang was still a spirit bug.

Not long after, he received news of his father’s death in battle. Back then, he was just an Earth Knight, training hard, hoping to avenge his father.

Shortly thereafter, Xiang Xiang suddenly evolved into a Grand Sprite, and the family truly seized an opportunity for growth. Though he rose to the rank of Earl through continuous expansion in war, the family's foundation was the cornerstone of success. Unlike Liszt, he never lacked resources during his youth.

However, now knowing Liszt has one Grand Sprite, six spirit bugs, and dozens of spirit bugs, he feels deeply conflicted. On one hand, he is pleased that his son is favored by the glory of knighthood; on the other hand, he feels lost as his son has far surpassed him.

In combat, he can no longer match his exceptionally talented son, and now in terms of wealth, he might also fall short. The Tulip family has one Grand Sprite, twelve spirit bugs, and over a hundred spirit bugs, but this is the result of over twenty years of cultivating Coral Island; the harvest within three years simply cannot compare to Liszt’s.

"Perhaps he’ll soon branch out... Melissa, if you could see Liszt’s achievements now, you’d be so proud—your son has started a new family."

The Earl shook his head.

Melissa has been dead for over a decade, and should have been long forgotten, but every achievement of Liszt’s makes him think of his late wife.

After all, the only one in the family who inherited Melissa’s beauty is Liszt.