Chapter 683: Space Ring

From east to west, from south to north.

Liszt took Acheronides riding the chocobo Loki, quickly touring Black Horse Island, admiring all the thriving and bustling small towns, as well as the increasingly orderly plantations and workshops.

"This is white paper. Its quality just meets the minimum writing standard, but the process still needs further improvement. Once the process is truly refined, it will be the era when white paper replaces thick paper. This technology will be a core industry after I establish my nation."

Acheronides rubbed the whitened paper: "It's amazing. Just some tree bark and straw can be made into paper that looks better than thick paper."

"Of course. Magic is wondrous, but technology is also a force not to be underestimated."

"Mmm, Brother has said many times that once the power of steam is harnessed, it will change the entire world."

Liszt had spoken about the Industrial Revolution—how Watt's invention of the steam engine sparked the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. Of course, he had presented it as theoretical: "Leo is an Elemental Dragon and cannot produce gems or metals, so leveraging its enhanced magic to develop industry is the fastest way to realize value."

Actually, it wasn’t the fastest way—the fastest way was to plunder, to launch expansion campaigns, just like the Sapphire Duchy did.

If the industrial impact of white paper still felt somewhat weak, more like a handicraft workshop, then visiting the glass workshop was a different experience. Watching stones turn into liquid fire under the scorching enhanced magic of the Fire Dragon, then being extracted, stretched, processed, and slowly cooled into various glassware, Acheronides was awestruck. It was the first time she truly felt the immense potential of industry.

"This is called an assembly line. If it were just one person’s effort, glass production would be very limited. But when each worker masters a single step of the process, not only does it speed up production, but it also effectively reduces the risk of technology leaks... I’ve been promoting assembly-line spellcasting at the Magic Academy based on this very principle."

"Brother’s ideas are truly... astonishing!" Acheronides expressed her amazement.

Liszt replied casually, "Just standard procedure."

Apart from the glass workshop, which had a faint industrial touch, the other workshops hadn’t yet shed the shadow of primitive handicrafts. At most, Liszt’s strict hygiene and environmental standards made them appear cleaner and more orderly—but fundamentally, little had changed. The real transformation was in the infrastructure.

The roads were smooth and wide "rubber roads," paved with bricks mixed with rubber water. Tall water towers were everywhere in residential and workshop areas, serving firefighting and sewage-flushing purposes—regularly cleaning the underground pipes. Every building had sewage pipes connected to the city’s underground drainage system.

Public toilets were abundant, and strict prohibitions against public urination or defecation were enforced as per Liszt’s orders. Violators faced not only fines but also forced labor.

Liszt also planned to promote waterwheels and raised waterways—where waterwheels would draw water from rivers and lakes, transporting it through overhead pipes to the city’s water towers. But with urban construction currently so busy, this step hadn’t yet been planned. As long as the castle’s needs were met, he didn’t mind slowing the progress.

Just like how noble lords didn’t care about urban sanitation—they lived in castles, far from the stench.

Liszt also lived in a castle. As long as the castle enjoyed healthy and convenient services, it didn’t matter if the city lagged behind. In fact, the towns under his jurisdiction were already considered paragons of civilization in this world, with livability comparable to the castles of great nobles.

Many merchants chose to buy houses in Blooming Town—they could only buy in Blooming Town, as Black Horse Island hadn’t yet opened settlements to outsiders.

Once accustomed to living in such clean and sanitary conditions, it was hard to return to those filthy, waste-filled cities. Even many minor nobles living in rural manors had bought houses in Blooming Town to enjoy the convenience of "modernized" urban life—along with gourmet food and vibrant theater.

The port town, gradually developing into a city, was a highlight of the tour.

A barren stretch of land near Green Tea Town was also a highlight. Liszt pointed at this empty plot and said to Acheronides, "It was right here that Leo and I encountered the invisible dragon, a Sacred Dragon variant. It ate my beef and Smokegrass and gifted me these void gems."

He took out a void gem and handed it to her: "This void gem is for you, Acheronides, as a gift for your promotion to Archmage. Let me personally put it on you."

The void gem was already set in a mithril ring crafted by the Iron Knight, Alvin Eaglesword—now a spatial ring that glittered brilliantly.

Holding Acheronides’ slender hand, Liszt placed the shimmering ring on her left middle finger as she watched in awe: "You can study it well... Perhaps one day I’ll even ride the invisible dragon, and then we’ll have as many void gems as we want."

There was a time when a single void gem was like a treasure beyond price, guarded carefully, never to be shown in public.

And never to be given to anyone.

But after becoming a Dragon-Rider, he no longer cared if void gems were discovered. Besides, he still had two Milon Mind-Fruits—sooner or later, he would ride the invisible dragon. By then, void gems would become a vital trade resource after establishing his country.

Compared to blue, red, or green gems, the value of void gems was incomparably greater.

"With Leo and the invisible dragon by my side, the combat power of two dragons will protect my country. By then, even without the Kingdom as a backing, no one would dare mess with me!"

A kingdom usually has about six or seven dragon knights, but they are often caught up in political entanglements, leaving very few truly free. The loss of even a single dragon knight could throw a nation into chaos, making rulers hesitant to casually deploy them for dragon-hunting missions.

When the Sapphire Duchy was founded, the Kingdom of the Eagle dispatched only one dragon knight for the dragon-hunting mission—a clear indication.

Had they sent two dragon knights, there likely would have been no Sapphire Duchy at all.

"Is this the space gem? It requires magic power to activate... Incredible! It contains an independent space, as if detached from this world yet still connected to it! Truly remarkable. Brother, you're not just the dragon knight of the Fire Dragon but also on good terms with the invisible dragon."

Acheronides was utterly astonished—not just by the gem's spatial properties but also by Liszt himself.

Taming a Fire Dragon was already an unimaginable feat, yet Liszt was now clearly working to conquer a second dragon—and one of the sacred dragons at that, the invisible dragon.

She was almost overwhelmed with admiration for him.

Facing the small mermaid's adoring gaze, Liszt remained cool as ever: "Though the invisible dragon is an old friend of mine, it visits at most once a year. When it comes, I’ll introduce you... For now, let’s head to Thorn Castle to see our future home and familiarize ourselves with the surroundings."

(Read the full story at m.laotie.com)