Chapter 659: Promising the Bull

This chapter is a bonus update for reaching the "Fantasy Reaper 11" fan reward goal.

The banquet atmosphere was harmonious.

Lady Penelope was especially animated. Though the elderly lady's health was no longer as robust as before, her mood remained cheerful. Although she was unaware that Liszt was a dragon knight, her son had already been confirmed as Marquis Niuwei, and her grandson was highly likely to become Marquis Ironhoof Island. No wonder she was in such high spirits.

In the Sapphire Duchy, few women could rival her current prestige, aside from the Duchess and the two princesses—perhaps even the princesses paled in comparison to this elderly lady.

As long as the Duke reigned, the princesses held esteemed positions.

But once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the princesses would just be his two married sisters. And when the Crown Prince had his own descendants, the current princesses' status would decline further. As generations pass, they grow more distant, either integrating into the territories of feudal lords or blending into the blue-blooded nobility, no longer able to rely on the Sapphire family.

As she ate her fluffy steamed egg, she teased, "We’ll have to be on guard. I suspect many high nobles will bring their daughters to visit Coral Island."

"Indeed, we must vet them carefully. This is about Liszt’s future," Lady Mary chimed in.

Gloria also smiled and added, "We’ll need to vet their lineage, appearance, and character. Most importantly, it should be Liszt’s own choice."

Liszt simply ate his dinner in silence, ignoring the three women’s matchmaking chatter. Noblewomen held no appeal for him, and given his current status, he had no need to strengthen himself through alliances.

The Count knew Liszt’s identity as a dragon knight.

Thus, he had a clear idea about Liszt’s choice of spouse and said directly, "You needn’t worry about this. No matter which noble ladies come to visit, let Liszt decide for himself. Understood?" In his view, as a dragon knight, Liszt would ideally marry a princess to match his status.

Dragon knights, the apex of martial prowess, had always been the top choice for princesses across nations.

"You are now Marquis Niuwei. The Tulip family is yours to command," Lady Penelope remarked indifferently. "You’ve always done as you pleased—not that your choices have ever impressed me."

She then glanced subtly at Lady Mary, her meaning unmistakable.

Lady Mary remained smiling as if oblivious to the subtext in Lady Penelope’s words.

...

After the banquet.

The Count and Liszt returned to the study to continue their talk: "Since you’ve become a dragon knight, you’ve likely had the dragon for a while. When did it begin?"

"Leo was discovered on Black Horse Island. He’s a growing juvenile dragon, but as an elemental dragon, he’s incredibly powerful. Essentially, from the moment I advanced to sky knight, I’ve been training with Leo, which is why my skills improved so rapidly."

"Leo is that Fire Dragon?"

"Yes."

"No wonder you wiped the floor with me in that combat drill." It seemed that, having lost to a dragon knight, the Count quickly made peace with his past defeat and could now speak openly about that crushing loss. "Who’d have guessed the Tulip family would produce a dragon knight?"

Liszt smiled. "The Glory of Knighthood!"

The Count fell silent for a moment, then also smiled. "The Glory of Knighthood!"

Then, turning serious again, he asked, "Leo is still a juvenile dragon. What are your plans? Dragons mature over centuries."

"I’m figuring out how dragon knights train. The best approach would be to obtain the 'Dragon Knight Mana Manual' from the Duke. That way, I could reference the first Duke’s techniques to grow stronger faster... For now, I can only rely on independent exploration, which is slower."

"The Duke would never easily part with the 'Dragon Knight Mana Manual.'"

"I’m not counting on it. As long as he tolerates my steady development, I’ll leave the Sapphire Duchy to seek other overseas islands and found my own realm."

"You plan to establish a country overseas?"

"I can't just overthrow the Sapphire family and seize the Sapphire Duchy to build a nation. The Grand Duke has not mistreated the Tulip family, and I have no desire to betray my lord." War's profits once drove Liszt to battle, but he still adhered to basic principles.

As long as the Sapphire family does not target the Tulip family, the Grand Duke remains the Count's liege. Betraying one's lord as a follower is already a shameful act, and killing your lord would destroy your reputation.

Even if people fear the power of the dragon-breeding family in the future and dare not speak openly, they will still curse the family as regicides behind their backs.

"Building a nation from nothing is no easy task. At the very least, you'd need the support of a kingdom. I thought you'd choose to establish a nation on the mainland."

"I prefer developing an island. Many see islands as desolate, but for me, developing an island isn't hard."

"Running a country isn't easy. You must recognize this, especially since the Fire Dragon is an elemental dragon that doesn't help much with resource production."

Resources would never be lacking as long as Liszt could secure the invisible dragon.

Even with just Leo, we could still boost production: "Father, I believe elemental dragons also possess great production potential. I've started figuring out how to use the Fire Dragon. Currently, glassmaking, charcoal burning, brick and pottery production on Black Horse Island all rely on the Fire Dragon's power."

With further exploration, the Fire Dragon's power could help push us from agriculture to industry—essentially an infinite energy source.

If we develop steam engines or internal combustion engines, we could start an industrial revolution at any moment.

However, the effort required for an industrial revolution is immense. Now that he's a dragon rider, enjoying the immense power it brings, Liszt has little motivation to push for such a revolution. He prefers riding dragons to explore this wondrous world and uncover all its mysteries.

Thus, father and son laid out plans for Liszt's nation, one word at a time.

Yet, however good the plans look, they have to be built step by step. For now, the most crucial task is ensuring Liszt can develop safely until the day of nation-building arrives.

"Father, it's not convenient for me to meet the Grand Duke. I hope you can negotiate with him and dissuade him from attempting to recruit me as a follower. Otherwise, even if the Grand Duke doesn't try to seize Leo, dragon riders from other kingdoms might launch a dragon-slaying war against me, just as the founding Grand Duke faced hardships when establishing his nation."

"Don't worry. It's just a matter of taking some heat for being greedy... I'll tell the Grand Duke directly that I need your help to develop the Tulip family and secure our foothold on Iron Hoof Island. At the very least, this should buy you ten years without needing to pledge loyalty to the Grand Duke... Will ten years be enough for you to reach a level of self-sufficiency?"

Liszt nodded: "It won't take long before I make waves across these seas. Ten years is more than enough... Father, once I successfully establish my nation, the Tulip family will hold the same status as the Ox Marquis in the Sapphire Duchy. This is my promise."

Nobility values propriety. Even between father and son, after enfeoffment or division, interests must come first.

Hearing this, the Count patted Liszt's shoulder approvingly: "Good!"