Chapter 690: Mountain on Fire

This chapter is a bonus update for the "From Today Onward" 20,000-coin sponsorship reward, with another update to follow.

———

"In my youth, I fought battles everywhere, sustaining countless injuries without knowing how to take care of myself. Only in old age did I realize how important health is. Compared to those long-established Marquis families, our emerging Marquis family still has a long way to go." Marquis Merlin took a sip of medicine, struggling to stay alert.

Liszt asked with concern, "Grandfather, do you need to take a break?"

"No need. I’m stuck in bed all day—I’ve had plenty of rest. I’ve been looking forward to your early arrival because there are many things I want to discuss with you. You inherited the Ghost Swordsman legacy—something I don’t understand—but with such incredible strength, it means your future is bright."

"The Grand Duke proposed to my father that I be promoted to Marquis of Ironhoof City, but I have no interest in dealing with the nobles of the Blue Blood Alliance, so I declined."

"You just turned down a Marquis title?"

"Yes, I refused."

"Haha, that’s my boy! Truly worthy of being my grandson." Marquis Merlin laughed heartily but soon broke into a fit of coughing. The steward by his bedside immediately patted his back and rubbed his chest, while servants held a spittoon to catch the phlegm he coughed up.

After catching his breath, he continued.

Marquis Merlin said, "The nobles of the Blue Blood Alliance aren’t worth it—they can’t compare to the freedom of a landed noble. Your thinking is correct. Moreover, with your strength, sooner or later, you’ll claim one of the other two Marquis titles on Ironhoof Island. Perhaps your father’s territory and yours will end up side by side."

"Perhaps."

"Looking at it that way, in the future, the Tulip family, your family, the Longyu family, and the Golden Wheat family can stand together and become a major force."

"I’m afraid the Grand Duke wouldn’t want the Marquises to be too closely connected."

"The Grand Duke has his thoughts, and we have ours. We’ll find a way to work together... The potion recipe you sent to Meopo—he’s probably taking it by now. I don’t know how effective it will be, but the Longyu family still needs your help." Marquis Merlin sighed.

He wasted no time fretting over Meopo’s issue.

The aristocratic system does not allow for adopting heirs. If a noble loses their direct male descendants to inherit the title, the fief will be directly reclaimed by the lord—though one could choose a daughter as heir, to be succeeded by a grandson. However, doing so would be no different from giving the family away to strangers.

In any case, titles pass to male heirs. Passing it to a daughter means the family’s demise.

Naturally, Marquis Merlin did not want the Longyu family to perish.

"Grandfather, don’t worry. Within my capabilities, I will do everything to help the Longyu family."

"You are a level-headed young man. Sometimes, I envy Lee William—he fathered three sons. Though Levis may not cut out for much, he’s more than capable of holding his own. And there’s that one called Lytton, right? I hear his talent isn’t bad either. But the most astonishing is your talent, beyond what anyone imagined."

Liszt replied modestly, "I just worked harder than others."

"Hard work or talent, you’ve grown to a level no one else can reach. Taking down a Domain Knight in a straight fight—this achievement is likely unprecedented and unrepeatable." Marquis Merlin’s "unprecedented and unrepeatable" referred to levels below that of a Dragon Knight.

However, embarrassingly, without his dragon, Liszt would barely stand out.

Without the dragon, he would probably only reach the level of a peak Sky Knight in this lifetime—but there are no "ifs" in the world. He does have a dragon. Starting as an ordinary Sky Knight, he trained alongside the Fire Dragon, creating a legend unique to the Blueblood Isles.

After confirming his support for the Longyu family,

Marquis Merlin and Liszt did not dwell on the topic further.

Liszt began consulting Marquis Merlin on cultivation issues for peak-level Sky Knights. As an experienced veteran of the peak level, Marquis Merlin naturally shared his insights and wisdom generously. Their discussion lasted over an hour, giving Liszt a profound understanding of the peak level.

The foundational material for *Liszt’s Sky Notes* has been compiled and is ready to wrap up.

The afternoon nap after the luncheon.

Liszt called forth the mist quest, which had finally changed: "Mission completed, reward: a clue about the lesser dragon Phoenix." The clue was likely in the hands of Marquis Merlin, so he planned to inquire further in the afternoon.

A new mission was promptly issued.

"Mission: Although you no longer care about spirit bugs since acquiring a dragon, they continue to work tirelessly, producing resources for the Black Horse Isle domain. Among them, the rubber bugs are becoming increasingly valuable, and the use of Three Phase Power seems to have made them dependent. Please use Three Phase Power more frequently. Reward: a mutant strain of rubber tree."

"Hmm?"

"A mission rewarding a new plant variety—it's been ages since I received such a task... The rubber bugs are dependent on Three Phase Power. It seems I'll need to use it frequently after returning to stimulate their mutation." He didn’t often use Three Phase Power.

Because after each use, the rubber bug triplets would become lethargic, as if completely exhausted.

But with the mist quest's guidance, it suggested that Three Phase Power was not only harmless but also stimulating for the rubber bug triplets, so he should use it more often.

"However, since shifting my focus to dragon-taming, the development of the spirit bugs in my domain has stagnated. Does this mean the destiny force represented by the mist quest is actually limited? Once priorities shift, influence in other areas begins to wane?"

It makes sense.

Liszt felt he needed to learn how to control his subconscious to guide the mist quest into issuing more practical tasks—such as dragon-taming.

Spirit bugs were important, but no matter how valuable, they couldn’t compare to dragons.

With a dragon, he could claim countless spirit bugs.

"Give me a Sylph Dragon!" He quickly envisioned the dragon he most desired, attempting to hypnotize himself in hopes of the mist quest’s performance.

In the afternoon.

After Marquis Merlin had rested, Liszt returned to his bedroom. After exchanging pleasantries, he began to inquire about the Phoenix Feather. He had asked once before in a letter, to which Marquis Merlin replied that it was seized from the battlefield of the frontier campaign, with no knowledge of its origin.

This time, however, Marquis Merlin provided a new answer: "After receiving your letter, I made arrangements and sent the family’s spies to follow merchant caravans to the mainland to investigate the Phoenix Feather. They uncovered key information from that captive knight."

"What information?" Liszt leaned forward eagerly, knowing the mist quest’s reward was coming.

Indeed.

Marquis Merlin said, "According to the captive knight, his uncle was a mercenary who once accepted a secret mission from a certain noble to explore a primeval jungle. They found a tree said to have been inhabited by a Phoenix and obtained several Phoenix Feathers."

However, due to disputes over spoils or some crisis, the mercenary group disbanded.

The captive knight’s uncle fled with one Phoenix Feather, handed it to the knight, and soon died. The knight, being earth-aligned, couldn't utilize the Phoenix Feather and was afraid to disclose it—knowing his uncle’s means of obtaining it were dubious.

Thus, after being captured in battle, he surrendered it as tribute to Marquis Merlin.

Liszt asked, "Grandfather, where on the mainland was that captive knight from? And which forest did his uncle explore?"

"In the area of the Verdant Passage, there’s a mountain called ‘Ember Peak.’ The Phoenix Feather was obtained from the primeval forest there."