March 12, 2025 — 4:31 am

The Earl stayed on Black Horse Island for half a day and exchanged much information about sea spirit bugs with Liszt before leaving.

Liszt did not choose to withhold information. Developing ocean resources is extremely difficult for people today. Without a mount like the Rainbow Whale Rosi, and without a mermaid like Acheronides, diving can only be done near the shore. However, finding spirit bugs near the shore through diving is nearly impossible.

Without the Magic Eye, searching for herbs with the naked eye is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

In fact, according to the Earl's introduction, many nobles are aware of the existence of spirit bugs in the sea, but few are willing to develop the cultivation of sea spirit bugs. The technology, manpower, and resources required for farming in the vast ocean would be immense.

Moreover, most marine plants are algae, which, apart from being used as livestock feed, seem to have little value.

If the Giant Kelp forest had not discovered the Magic Giant Kelp, but only ordinary Giant Kelp, it wouldn't have been worth Liszt's significant effort to develop it.

With the cost of cultivating Giant Kelp, it would be better to focus more on farming on land.

However, with the Magic Giant Kelp, it's different. Spending a bit more to cultivate magic herbs in the sea still brings huge profits, especially since the yield of Magic Giant Kelp is substantial. Therefore, it's difficult to find anyone else capable of developing spirit bugs in the sea apart from Liszt.

Of course, he isn't afraid to share the technology.

In summary.

The Earl toured Black Horse Island, and his travel experience likely wasn't very pleasant. Three days later, at the Grand Sprite birth celebration, his impression of the Giant Kelp Grand Sprite Pyke was also not very positive. It wasn't that Pyke's teeth ruined his face, nor that Pyke was of little value.

But the thought that sea spirit bugs cannot be developed, and that finding a Giant Kelp spirit bug like Pyke is almost impossible, left him feeling quite frustrated.

Before boarding Black Horse Island, he had arrived with great enthusiasm.

Although Mary had encouraged him from behind, he was indeed eager for a new source of spirit bugs. Unfortunately, only his son had the advantage.

"Why can't I encounter a magical beast or sea monster mount!" he lamented, recalling how amazed he was when Liszt told him about the Rainbow Whale Rosi's magical ability—the Rainbow Breathing Membrane.

This treats the ocean as land, to be tread upon at will.

Jealousy burned fiercely in the Earl's heart, but unfortunately, the object of his envy was his second son, and he couldn't directly seize it. Even if it weren't his own child, it seems he couldn't defeat Liszt now, with Loki flying in the sky, Rosi swimming in the water, and a group of Blizzard Beasts—Liszt alone is an army.

So he could only patiently lean back in his chair and continue listening to Liszt's seemingly casual but well-calculated boasting.

At this moment, the family happened to be discussing Liszt's new castle.

Liszt said, "I plan to build a five-story castle. Since Black Horse Island is flat and lacks steep cliffs for natural barriers, I can only build it taller. Although living alone in such a large castle might feel empty, you can all come to my castle for vacations."

"Have you thought of a name for the castle?" Gloria asked.

"Not yet."

"How about Giant Kelp Castle, like Tulip Castle, named after a Grand Sprite," Lvera suggested.

Liszt smiled and rejected the idea, "Actually, I prefer Thorn Castle." He snapped his fingers, and a "Woo-wah" sound echoed in the castle. The next moment, the Thorn Fairy Jie La flew over and landed on Liszt's shoulder, yawning.

He continued, "Pyke is a sea spirit; it doesn't like living in the castle. Jie La is my first spirit bug, and naming the castle after it is more meaningful."

"Woo-wah!" Jie La didn't understand what Liszt was saying, but that didn't stop it from agreeing with him.

Among all the spirits.

Liszt's favorite is Jie La, despite Jie La's bad temper.

It was his first spirit bug, and he personally felt its refusal to yield to fate, struggling from an overlooked Thorn Bug, breaking out of its cocoon, and transforming into a spirit bug that cultivates magic herbs. He still remembers the heart-striking moment when he saw Jie La's hand emerge from the gray, bloated cocoon of the Thorn Bug.

He had grown accustomed to Jie La rudely picking at her food at every banquet, eating a bit and throwing away the rest.

Jie La was not the most precious among the spirit bugs, but in his heart, she was the most special.

Penelope looked at Jie La and feigned a sigh, saying, "Oh, my poor Pyke, not only did it fail to become the family surname, but the castle doesn’t even bear its name." She was somewhat unhappy that Liszt had not changed the surname, established a new family, and gained glory.

"The castle will be called Bramble Castle," Liszt said, unwilling to discuss it further. "But when the port town develops into a city, I can name it Giant Kelp City."

...

The lively luncheon needs no elaboration. Amid the flattery of The Glory of Knighthood!, course after course of delicacies were served, and the feast concluded merrily.

After the meal,

everyone also enjoyed a newly arranged stage play, "The Loyalty Hymn of Sir Valci," in which Avril, who played the female lead, left a deep impression on the audience.

Applause was continuous.

Especially Penelope, who greatly enjoyed this new form of stage play: "It’s marvelous. Unlike those monotonous comedies, this drama is deeply moving—it’s art, like piano music. I even want to stay here and watch their performances every day."

Liszt responded, "This is a play arranged by the Black Horse Island Drama Troupe, which is still training new members. After a while, when the performances mature, I will have them perform on Coral Island, where you can watch their brilliant performances at home, along with an even richer repertoire."

"That's really great, I can't wait to see them perform on Coral Island," Penelope said, having her servants toss a handful of copper coins onto the stage, which was the main income for comedies, relying on audience tips.

However, Liszt was no longer planning to charge in this way.

He decided to rent buildings, convert them into theaters with grand indoor stages, and sell tickets, opting for a high-end approach.

After watching "The Loyalty Hymn of Sir Valci," the Grand Sprite’s birth celebration officially ended. Liszt personally sent the convoy away from the castle, knowing that Pyke’s name would quickly spread across Coral Island and beyond as the convoy departed.

And his own name would once again return to the conversation topics of the Duchy's nobility, reminding those nobles once again that this world has its geniuses.