Chapter 654: Joyride

This chapter is an extra update for "The 'Long, Long, Truly Long' Bonus Chapter."

Rose could dive to depths of 1,500 meters. Liszt had previously tested his own limit at 400 meters but couldn’t go beyond that.

He recalled the diving limits of Earth’s whales: killer whales at 260 meters, blue whales at 500 meters, sperm whales with a record of 2,035 meters, and the champion being Cuvier's beaked whales at 2,992 meters. It wasn’t about strength—just biology. Even the killer whale, the ocean’s apex predator, maxes out at 260 meters.

Similarly,

Acheronides, a spirit bug of the sea, could descend 1,500 meters without issue, same as Rose. Yet even a whale diving thousands of meters wouldn’t stand a chance against Rose. After all, Rose was a low-tier draconic sea monster.

Now, as Rose carried Liszt deeper and deeper, a depth-measuring rope unspooled steadily, its buoyed end bobbing on the surface to track their descent.

With increasing depth, the pressure on the body also intensified.

They breezed past 400 meters.

Giving Rose’s dorsal fin a pat, “Keep going, Rose, deeper!”

Rose obeyed, diving deeper. Bit by bit, they approached 550 meters, where Liszt finally hit his limit and signaled Rose to stop. At this depth, he familiarized himself with his body’s tolerance, determining his diving limit.

"550 meters—that’s my new diving limit."

Post-dive, after a bath and dinner,

Liszt returned to the volcano crater to continue waiting for Fire Drake Leo to wake up. The sleeping Leo was still immersed in pleasant dreams—if a bit repetitive—revolving around going out to plunder and hauling treasures back to its volcanic lair. Shiny gems and gold coins were its obsession.

Under the pristine moonlight,

Leaning against Leo’s massive leg, Liszt suddenly realized—if he could sense Leo’s dreams, Leo could surely sense his too. In fact, if Leo wanted, it could even sense whatever Liszt did at night.

"Nope. Not happening."

Privacy mattered to Liszt—especially nighttime privacy. “I must block this constantly open mental link… just like how I usually shield the emotional connections from the spirit bugs.” With dozens of spirit bugs, their unchecked emotions would drown him.

Thus, with some trial and error, he’d learned to block them reflexively.

Now, he needed to block Leo’s link—without sabotaging their bond or his privacy.

It was challenging but not impossible—just time-consuming.

...

He tinkered with blocking the link until midnight, then crashed.

Early the next morning, Liszt woke habitually before sunrise and immediately noticed Leo twisting its head to look at him.

Leo had woken up at some point.

Seeing Liszt awake, it let out a cheerful cry: "Oh roar!"

The mental link flooded Liszt’s heart with Leo’s pure joy. Stripped of malice, Leo no longer resisted Liszt in the slightest.

"Hold on, Leo, let me brush my teeth and wash my face first."

"Oh roar."

After a quick wash, Liszt mounted Leo, who had been waiting patiently, sitting on the Dragon Tooth Platform. In an instant, they fused—mana flowing as one, minds and fates entwined.

Taking a deep breath, he waved his hand and declared loudly, "Let's go!"

"Rawr!"

Leo kicked off the cliff with his legs, instantly leaping into the sky. His leathery wings flapped steadily as he soared into the air. Their minds were linked, thoughts in perfect sync—no words were needed. Leo understood Liszt's intentions, and Liszt grasped Leo's thoughts.

They were one.

Higher and higher they flew, surpassing the hundred-meter altitude that even a sky knight could reach. Glancing down, Acheronides, lost in thought by the shore, had become a tiny speck.

A mental command came: *"Descend. We're greeting Acheronides."*

Leo immediately complied, descending swiftly toward the foot of the mountain. His flight was incredibly fast, his body giving off warmth without burning. Even the Dragon Tooth Platform beneath Liszt's seat, along with the scales covering other parts of his body, sparked between their seams—yet none of it harmed Liszt in the slightest.

Leo had perfect control over fire-based magic. Unless he willed it, the magic would never manifest as real flames.

*Swish!*

His wings swept past the skull fruit grove, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived by the shore.

Their flashy landing instantly made the small mermaid's eyes light up with awe, excitement, and joy.

"Brother! Leo!"

"Rawr!" The Fire Drake grunted dismissively in greeting.

To anyone other than Liszt, he still carried an air of arrogant disdain. At his core, he was a true dragon. If not for Liszt's mental guidance, he wouldn’t have spared Acheronides a second glance. He was power incarnate—not some common creature.

Liszt patted Leo's head, signaling him to crouch down.

Then he swung down and landed, saying to Acheronides, "Come on, I’ll take you for a ride."

"But...I can't leave my shell..."

"Then we’ll take the shell with us."

With that, Liszt lifted Acheronides' massive shell, nearly three meters in diameter. Fortunately, his strength was immense now, and with the aid of Dragon Aura, he could lift tons with ease.

"Rawr!"

Leo objected to carrying the shell on his back.

But his objections were futile. He could only sulk in defeat, turning his head skyward. Liszt secured the shell to Leo’s scales with ropes. From head to tail, Leo stretched over twenty meters long, his back broad enough not only to carry people but also to haul cargo.

Sapphire dragons had once served as beasts of burden.

Once the shell was fastened, Liszt quickly mounted the Dragon Tooth Platform and gestured for Acheronides to sit in his lap. She blushed faintly but happily nestled into his embrace.

Such intimacy had become routine for her, though after reading many books, she had gained knowledge and gradually developed a sense of shyness. She was growing up—no longer the naive small mermaid who understood nothing—yet she still couldn’t resist Liszt’s affectionate gestures.

Holding her soft form set his pulse racing.

Liszt forcibly suppressed his stray thoughts and urged the disgruntled Leo to take off, soaring toward the blue skies and white clouds. "Leo, fly higher! I want to see how far you can go!"

Wings flapped.

His answer was Leo’s mighty roar: "Rawr!"

There’s a "Liszt’s New Surname Suggestion" thread in the book review section. Feel free to brainstorm and come up with a cool surname for Liszt. If the book review section is too troublesome, you can also leave your suggestions in the chapter comments.