Chapter 633: The Polymath

At sea, strong winds stirred up waves, yet the Sunset remained steady.

Liszt sat at the bow, enjoying the breeze, while nine snowstorm beasts lounged or lay about, occupying the entire space. Loki was more lively, occasionally taking flight for a spin before returning to the bow to accept specially prepared wheat grains from Liszt, savoring them one by one.

Not far away on the deck, Alvin Eaglesword was studying the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword. As a family heirloom from the Grand Sprites, he mastered its use faster than Liszt.

The Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword had two attributes.

The first was transforming mana properties, converting the user's mana into ice-attribute mana—dubbed "Ice Shift" by Liszt. He was close to mastering it, needing only the final breakthrough and extensive practice to wield the skill freely.

The second was the ice-sealing mana domain, freezing the resonance of a Domain Knight's mana field—dubbed "Ice Seal" by Liszt. No progress had been made on this yet. The Marquis of Raging Waves had likely spent half a year without cracking it, so Liszt couldn’t expect to master it immediately.

Fortunately, Alvin Eaglesword, a Domain Knight, was here. Though his talent was modest, his family’s Domain Knight techniques, combined with unlocking the special abilities of his ancestral Grand Sprite weapon, shouldn’t prove too difficult.

"Once Alvin deciphers the Ice Seal skill of the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword, Domain Knights will be no different from ordinary knights before me!" thought Liszt, sipping still-warm Half-slope Milk. "Also, Alvin has decided to contribute his family’s Domain Knight techniques to me. It’s time to establish a Domain Knight course at the knight academy."

Since founding a nation was inevitable,

various talents needed early cultivation to avoid ending up with a barren country lacking capable people.

After finishing his milk, Liszt directly retrieved a piece of roasted magical beast meat from his spatial gem. Though he preferred not to expose the spatial gem, he no longer exercised extreme caution. Even if discovered, who would dare seize it?

Not even a Count could intimidate him.

At worst, he’d cut ties.

Of course, his surroundings were mostly filled with followers and servants. As long as outsiders were avoided, revealing the spatial gem wouldn’t easily leak—few recognized such a miraculous gem, and most didn’t even know or believe in the existence of the Sacred Dragon.

On the midship deck,

Emily was practicing the archery manual *Guided Arrow* under Viscount Garcia’s instruction.

As a high-status captive, he was allowed free movement in designated areas of the Sunset. Skilled in archery, he voluntarily tutored Emily. Liszt treated him well with good wine and meat, so it was only natural for him to reciprocate. Nearby, another captive, Viscount Fox, was instructing several young knights.

After several fierce battles,

the original sixty-plus knights of the Black Horse Island Knight Order had lost a third—death in battle was their inevitable fate. Yet, the order hadn’t shrunk; instead, it expanded to over a hundred and twenty, replenished with elite Earth Knights.

Maintaining so many Earth Knights would have been unaffordable for Liszt previously, and he wouldn’t have wanted to.

But the ransom from this wave of captives had earned him nine small spirits, including one for medicinal herbs (Coptis small spirit) and two for grains (wheat and millet small spirits). The output of herbs and grains could sustain the territory’s expansion.

Once the iron ore shipments concluded, Liszt planned to ask the Count to purchase thirty thousand serfs for him.

Black Horse Island was developing industry, not just agriculture, so it could absorb vast numbers of serfs—as long as food supplies kept up, even a hundred thousand could be accommodated.

"Elite Earth Knights must be continuously trained to form a knight order loyal to me. Before I ride a dragon, I should research how to develop a mana domain… Though I'm a dragon rider, my descendants might lack talent and fail to ride dragons—then they’d need to master the mana domain."

He didn’t even have a wife yet, but he was already worrying about his descendants.

Tap-tap.

The sound of high heels on the deck.

It was Bloody Mary, cloaked in a long robe, her unnaturally flushed pale face beneath the hood visible. "My lord," she said.

With Magic Eye activated,

Liszt immediately noticed the surging blood mana within her—she had advanced to another level. "You’ve successfully evolved into a Pureblood species?" he asked.

"Yes, thanks to your guidance, Mary has finally become a pureblood vampire."

"Excellent. By ascending to pureblood status yourself, I believe you’ve gained new insights into the blood magic system, which can provide more research material."

"I am already preparing to add this material to *The Essence and Evolution of Blood Magic*," said Bloody Mary, offering her heart to Liszt cupped in both hands. "My cultivation has reached its current stage, so please continue safeguarding it for me, my lord."

Taking the heart,

Liszt grew increasingly satisfied with her attitude and nodded. "Your loyalty is evident. Now, I entrust you with this reincarnation ritual, this bloodletting needle, and this crimson mask. Additionally, I hand over the hearts of the halfbreeds—their training will now be under your supervision."

He had no desire to waste time overseeing the training of a few halfbreeds.

"Thank you for your trust, my lord. Mary will manage the blood thralls well and serve as your eyes in the dark!" Bloody Mary accepted the items, bowed deeply, and kissed the tip of Liszt’s shoe once more. "My lord, may I embrace new vampires?"

"If you wish to, you may. But it must be voluntary—no one is to be forced into becoming a vampire."

Bloody Mary replied reverently, "Your mercy blesses your subjects. Had I met you earlier, my lord, my life might have been very different."

"Perhaps you would have become a master wizard," Liszt said with a faint smile. "It’s worth noting that though I am a knight, I have also studied magical theory extensively. I’ve authored three books on the subject, and one magician in my territory even advanced to great magician by studying my works."

He was referring to Cris Truth.

Strictly speaking, his magical writings had indeed greatly inspired Cris’s breakthrough.

Bloody Mary expressed just the right amount of surprise. "Ah, my lord, you study magic as well? Your writings helped a magician become a great magician? You are truly a renaissance man! Had you chosen magic over mana, you would surely have become a renowned Archmage!"

Liszt gave a faint smile,

affecting indifference, and swiftly changed the subject. "You must not only manage the blood thralls but also oversee the three great magicians—Lars, Siler, and Dulac. Since they cannot pay the ransom for their freedom, they must serve me faithfully."

"As you command, my lord!"