Chapter 629: The Ripper

The battle was a rout, to put it simply—Liszt went bang-bang, slash-slash, then pew-pew. The two sky knights stationed at Dragon-Trapping Mountain were severely wounded and fell, and the knight order began to collapse. As Liszt picked off fleeing knights with sniper-like precision and vampires harried them with hit-and-run attacks,

the two knight orders at Dragon-Trapping Mountain were completely annihilated.

Some perished in battle, most surrendered, and only a few scattered in all directions.

"My lord, I deeply apologize. Some knights escaped through side paths, and we dared not pursue further. The sun outside grows increasingly intense, and under its scorching rays, our strength is sapped," Bloody Mary reported upon returning.

Liszt furrowed his brow but refrained from complaint. "Understood. You may rest now."

As Bloody Mary retreated, Liszt gazed at the piles of iron ore in the Dragon-Trapping Valley, suppressing his surging excitement. He mused, "Unlike the fanatically defended White Heron Castle, completely sealing off news from Dragon-Trapping Mountain will be extremely difficult. The escaped knights will surely spread word, and before long, Alonso may seize the chance to withdraw from the frontlines."

The only move now

was to rush the transportation of iron ore, salvaging as much as possible. Once the dragon knight returned, they would abandon the operation and flee separately. Of course, Liszt planned to stay at the Dragon-Trapping Iron Mine for only five days, preventing neighboring marquis forces from reclaiming it. Five days was a safe margin.

Beyond that, he couldn’t guarantee Alonso wouldn’t arrive early.

Without a dragon to ride, facing a true dragon knight, one must know when to retreat rather than stubbornly resist.

After clearing the battlefield at Dragon-Trapping Mountain, the transportation work swiftly commenced. Liszt and other knight order captains bellowed orders, reorganizing the captured knights. Stripped of their equipment, these knights were forced to participate in hauling iron ore, closely monitored by the elite mixed knight order.

The miners originally working in the pits were also driven out and assigned as transport laborers.

Cart after cart of ore was transported to the nearby Three Dragons Riverbank, awaiting the fleet’s arrival for loading. The only ones granted preferential treatment were the two sky knights, who could be exchanged for Spirit Bugs, and the six master miners—master miners being highly skilled in drilling and mining, making them valuable talents.

Liszt always valued talent, so these six master miners were exempted from menial labor. However, they were required to pack their belongings and board the fleet, bound for his territory.

Although his territory had no mineral resources to exploit, stockpiling such experts would certainly do no harm.

As for the families of the mine masters, they all resided in Lockdragon City. Using the blood servants, they could be brought back quickly. Taking these mine masters along with their families was one of Liszt's kinder moves.

"My lord, knights have already been dispatched to get word to Egretsburg. I believe Lord Mexiro will soon round up the serfs from Three Dragons City to transport the iron ore."

"Very well, Captain Marcus. Keep an eye on matters at Dragon Trap Mountain for me. Report any developments immediately."

"Yes, my lord!"

Once Marcus left, he summoned Bloody Mary.

"The battle is over. Now, this heart is yours. Your own heart is also returned to you. Absorb this heart and practice right here in front of me—let me witness how blood magic is practiced." Liszt tossed the two hearts over and said flatly.

For a vampire to practice magic, their heart must be restored.

To prevent subordinates from defecting, purebloods always oversaw the magical training of half-bloods. Liszt adopted the same method—he, too, distrusted these vampires.

Bloody Mary cradled the hearts, shaking with excitement as she prostrated herself and kissed the tip of Liszt's boot. "Bloody Mary is forever loyal to you, my lord!"

Then, she began her training before Liszt.

First, she removed her upper garment, exposing herself without shame before him—a downright sexy sight. Yet before Liszt could even glance twice, Bloody Mary slit open her own chest and stuffed her heart back into the bloody cavity, making Liszt's skin crawl.

In an instant, all titillating thoughts shattered completely.

Still, he suppressed his discomfort and activated the Magic Eye to observe how Bloody Mary absorbed the heart. It seemed to be some arcane blood magic, breaking down Tubote's heart from its magic form into individual magic runes—like the reverse of a magic array.

The blood servants had yet to compile the relevant texts on blood magic, so Liszt's understanding of it remained limited.

He only watched for a while before losing interest. The entire absorption process was rather dull, with Bloody Mary sitting quietly and continuously casting spells to absorb those magic runes, integrating them into her body.

...

By the time Bloody Mary finished absorbing the heart, a full day and night had passed.

She hadn’t become a pureblood vampire yet, still needing some time to digest and assimilate. After completing the absorption, she matter-of-factly dug out her own heart again and handed it to Liszt. Compared to her previous heart, this one was now much more translucent, with significantly denser blood magic.

Taking the still-beating heart, Liszt could not help but ask, "I’m curious—when you cut open your chest like that, don’t you feel any pain?"

"My lord, pain is part of blood magic. Often, it is through pain that we better remind ourselves we are still alive, not just talking corpses."

"Have you ever regretted becoming a vampire?"

"I have no regrets. I was forcibly turned into a vampire by Tubote—it wasn’t a choice I could make. But it doesn’t feel bad. At least as a vampire, I can preserve my youthful face, and the freedom of flight is beautiful."

Liszt could not fathom her perspective.

He could already fly, whether on his own or by riding a bird. Moreover, his face had always been youthfully handsome. By the time he became the Lord of the Dragon Domain, he’d likely remain young for centuries. As for immortality, he held no strong desire—living a few hundred years would probably suffice.

Living too long seemed meaningless.

After signaling Bloody Mary to leave, he remained alone in the study of the nameless castle, flipping through the advanced combat aura manual *Meteor Crash Shockwave*, an earth-attribute technique confiscated the day before. It had been found in the bedroom of a sky knight stationed here, the book worn from frequent reading.

This advanced combat aura manual was the reward for completing the smoke mission.

"Mission complete. Reward: Advanced combat aura manual *Meteor Crash Shockwave*."

The mission had been accomplished the moment the knights’ order surrendered, and a new task soon followed.

"Mission: This conquest edict has already achieved glorious results. The spoils from the iron mines will continue to pour in. Now, it’s time to carefully negotiate the ransoms for the captive knights and future trade of serfs. Please patiently await the end of the war. Reward: Unknown."

"It’s indeed time to consider how to wrap things up." Liszt tossed *Meteor Crash Shockwave* directly into his gem space. "Capturing five sky knights—two ordinary and three sword saints, with one doggedly pledging to follow me... The gains from this conquest edict will sustain me for years!"

Just then,

the study door was knocked, and the voice of the Count came from outside: "Liszt, your uncle Mexiro and I have agreed to hunt in the nearby mountains. Care to join us? My knights have spotted traces of a powerful magic beast—perhaps we can capture it!"