Chapter 688: Rings on Ten Fingers

Putting down the half-spilled teacup, Marquis Niuwei of the Tulip family, Lee William, did not leave the study immediately. Instead, he took out a piece of thick paper, dipped his quill in ink, and first wrote down the word "Dragon Knight," followed by "Archmage."

Staring at the two words, he unwittingly fell into a daze. It took him a long while to snap out of it. He then pulled out a tinderbox, lit the thick paper, and watched as it turned to ashes in the ashtray on the desk. Only then did he exhale deeply, stand up, and leave his study, wearing a beaming smile.

Descending the stairs, he rejoined the lively gathering of nobles.

Yet his mindset was now entirely different. With just a Dragon Knight, he had to worry about the continental kingdoms launching a war of dragon extermination. But with the addition of an Archmage as support, unless the continental kingdoms dispatched two Dragon Knights, there was no way they could defeat the combination of a Dragon Knight and an Archmage.

As Liszt's father, seeing the relationship between Liszt and Acheronides, he also understood that this alliance wasn’t something just anyone could break.

Thus, once his son established a nation, it would be guarded by the two apex forces of a Dragon Knight and an Archmage.

It would undoubtedly be more stable than the Sapphire Duchy at its founding, and the Tulip family could capitalize on this opportunity to flourish in the new nation, ensuring their bloodline endured.

The family’s glory would reach its zenith.

"Now everything is ready. It all depends on when Liszt decides to establish the nation."

Filled with swelling pride, Lee William felt head and shoulders above the other nobles as he chatted with them. Even the crown prince seemed like a mere child in comparison. Of course, nobles were adept at disguising their thoughts, and he still perfectly played the role of Marquis Niuwei.

Amidst the laughter of the guests, Tulip Castle remained lively without pause.

...

Meanwhile.

After escorting Acheronides back to Flower Town, Liszt lingered there to handle some administrative affairs and instructed Steward Carter on a few matters before preparing to leave and return to Tulip Castle. The next day, he planned to accompany Meopo to visit the ailing and elderly Marquis Merlin on Red Crab Island.

"Wah!"

Jie La flew over and landed on Liszt’s shoulder, the spirit bug clearly in a bad mood.

Liszt picked her up and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Wah."

"Did you have a fight with the Huanglian spirit bug?" Sensing Jie La’s emotions, Liszt understood she was very displeased with that particular spirit bug.

At the mention of the Huanglian spirit bug, Jie La immediately exclaimed, "Wah!" Her excitement flared up.

Liszt clearly sensed the underlying sentiment—Jie La was deeply resentful of the Huanglian spirit bug. During the earlier chaotic brawl, though Jie La had struck first, the Huanglian spirit bug had given as good as it got, recruiting other spirit bugs to join the fray and successfully upstaging Jie La.

Now, the spirit bugs recognized both the Huanglian spirit bug and Jie La as the dual bullies of Nameless Castle, not to be provoked lightly.

The title of "sole tyrant of Nameless Castle," which should have belonged to Jie La alone, had been half-stolen by the Huanglian spirit bug. How could Jie La be happy about that? Especially since the Huanglian spirit bug was a formidable opponent—its aggressive temperament made Jie La doubt whether she could even overpower it.

This only made her more upset.

So she complained to Liszt.

But Liszt paid little mind to such petty rivalries. He simply offered his usual comfort and admonition, telling Jie La to sleep peacefully and avoid stirring up trouble. Then he escorted her back to her private room and made a round of the insect chambers, delivering warnings to each spirit bug.

Satisfied that he had quelled the restless spirit bugs, he finally left the castle, mounted his large bird Loki, and hurried back to Tulip Castle to continue his noble social obligations.

In the insect room.

The girl Jie La pushed open the lid of the box above her, perched on the edge, her small head with shiny black eyes gazing at the glass window of the insect room and the swaying apple tree outside, deep in thought. Autumn was approaching, and many of the apple tree leaves had turned yellow and fallen.

A fallen leaf drifted along the wind's path, landing on the glass of the window.

Jie La darted over in a flash, pressing her nose to the glass to examine the leaf. It was slightly curled, its yellowed surface still faintly revealing the traces of its veins.

She let out a curious yet joyful cry: "Wah!"

...

Riding Loki.

Galloping through the air, each light step on the ground sent Loki soaring again, its running speed far surpassing that of flight.

Following Loki's rhythmic movements, Liszt suddenly felt a surge of heroic ambition—"I am a leaf in the wind, watch me fly!" Though he was merely riding a chocobo, a large bird barely considered a mid-level draconic beast, in his heart, he was riding a dragon.

A Dragon Knight should ride a dragon!

Moreover, he was no ordinary Dragon Knight. Within his spatial gem, he still possessed two magic Milon Mind Fruits, representing two more dragons—one already confirmed as the invisible dragon, while the other, the Sylph Dragon, remained elusive. If his haze quest also signified a dragon, he would have four in total.

Apart from the Fire Drake Leo, a formidable Elemental Dragon, the remaining three—the invisible dragon, the Sylph Dragon, and the Smoke Dragon—were all Elder Dragons.

"If I could find two more Milon Mind Fruits, perhaps in the future, I could gather five Elder Dragons. By then, I might truly be called the Sacred Dragon Knight."

The Smoke Dragon representing fate, the Sylph Dragon representing life, the invisible dragon representing space, the Dusk Dragon representing time, and the Jade Serpent of Dreams—each Elder Dragon embodied a wondrous power. Yet, he had no idea where to find them.

Liszt hoped fate would guide him.

Just as the haze quest had led him to ride the Fire Drake Leo and befriend the invisible dragon, perhaps one day, it would lure the other three Elder Dragons into his grasp.

Like sprites, dragons were independent beings, free to scheme against one another.

Perfectly logical!

Touching the three spatial gems hanging on his chest, his thoughts jumped erratically: "There's no need to hide them anymore. Later, I’ll have Alvin forge three more adamantine rings, embed the spatial gems into them, and craft dimensional rings for easier use."

Having the spatial gem on his chest meant he had to reach over every time he wanted to use it.

But if he wore them on his fingers, a mere thought would allow him to retrieve or store items effortlessly—quick and efficient.

"Once I ride the invisible dragon, I’ll definitely wear dimensional rings on all ten fingers, filled with every essential for life. One day, I’ll ride my dragons to unravel every mystery of this world."

Mark my words, readers.