Chapter 743: The Vacation Paradise

The Marquis Raging Waves, as a Domain Knight and an established marquis, possessed a total of four Grand Sprites: the Barley Grand Sprite, the Pea Great Spirit, the Five-Leaved Ivy Grand Sprite, and the Eucalyptus Grand Sprite.

Undoubtedly, the most valuable among them was the Five-Leaved Ivy Grand Sprite, as it could cultivate magical herbs. Second in value was the Barley Grand Sprite, which produced staple barley. However, after careful consideration, Liszt chose the youngest—the Pea Great Spirit, which was only seventy-five years old.

Peas were the most common food for ordinary commoners, while nobles generally did not eat beans, using them only as horse feed.

Yet Liszt was different. In his territory, peas held significant value, as they were used in various bean-based products. Most importantly, his land had a unique crop—nodule peas. These peas could grow abundant rhizobia, helping the soil fix nitrogen and increase crop yields.

After planting nodule peas on wasteland for two seasons, the land quickly became fertile.

During fallow periods, Liszt primarily had his territory cultivate nodule peas to harvest rhizobia, which were then used to inoculate other leguminous plants, boosting their yields. Soybeans, peas, cowpeas, mung beans, as well as soapberries and peanuts, all benefited from rhizobia inoculation, enhancing nitrogen fixation.

However, the rhizobia from nodule peas worked best on peas and broad beans. Thus, Liszt had quietly pondered about breeding soybeans and peanuts to produce their own rhizobia.

In short,

The Five-Leaved Ivy Grand Sprite was something even the Marquis Raging Waves would never part with, and the Barley Grand Sprite was too old. After weighing his options, Liszt chose the Pea Great Spirit.

Thanks to the nodule pea variant and the widespread cultivation of legumes, the Pea Great Spirit’s role was highly impactful.

Under Liszt’s gaze, Dien reluctantly channeled his mana to sever the contract with the Pea Great Spirit. The newly awakened Pea Great Spirit, still dazed, barely had time to react before Liszt roughly stuck his finger into its mouth and pinched its lips.

Its teeth instinctively clamped down.

In an instant, a clear mental connection formed between him and the Pea Great Spirit.

"Huh?"

Licking the lingering blood on its tongue, the Pea Great Spirit was bewildered. It glanced at Dien, recognizing him as a familiar face, yet no longer feeling the closeness of the past. Instead, the striking stranger before it evoked an inexplicable sense of familiarity—as if everything had changed during its brief nap.

"Lord Liszt, Dinió has been handed over to you. Will my father regain his freedom now?" Dien asked, suppressing his distress.

"Stay for lunch."

Dien had no appetite. He only wished to leave immediately, far away, to escape the pain of losing a Grand Sprite. However, the Marquis Raging Waves interjected, "Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Liszt. We shall gladly accept. The delicacies of Bramble Castle are truly unmatched."

As a Domain Knight, his captivity on Black Horse Island had been comfortable, with excellent provisions.

He had quickly grown fond of the abundant cuisine and the spotless living conditions. Were it not for their opposing factions, this place would make an ideal vacation retreat.

Liszt smiled faintly. "It's no trouble—just a meal. It won't take much time."

His impression of the Marquis Raging Waves was favorable. During this period, they had frequently discussed mana domain cultivation. Though Liszt had no plans to master it, he still sought to explore its basics to avoid possessing manuals but lacking systematic training.

"Sir Dien, when you departed from the Eagle Kingdom, did you learn of the kingdom’s reaction to the Dragon War?" Liszt suddenly inquired.

Dien glanced at his father.

The Marquis Raging Waves, sipping premium green tea, scolded, "What is there to hide in front of His Highness?"

Only then did Dien reply sheepishly, "Your Highness Liszt, my knowledge is limited. Upon receiving your letter, my family hastily prepared the ransom and set off for Sapphire. Along the way, I only heard scattered rumors—coastal regions were buzzing with talk of the Dragon War, shocked by the death of His Highness Karluo. But the royal court’s reaction remains unclear."

"Hmm."

Liszt gave no response.

In a world without the internet, the full impact of the Dragon War would take months to spread. Beyond the noble elite, most minor nobles and commoners in remote areas remained oblivious to the event, rarely concerning themselves with affairs beyond their territories.

Most commoners never left their towns or villages in their entire lives.

Even minor nobles rarely traveled except for war, as the cost of a single journey was considerable. They preferred staying on their lands and lording it over their subjects.

In short,

For Liszt to learn more about the feedback from the Dragon-Slaying War, he could only wait for Mary and other blood servants to keep sending reports from the Kingdom of the Eagle.

...

The luncheon was quite lavish, mainly due to the variety of dishes.

The Marquis of Raging Waves thoroughly enjoyed his meal, while his son Dean seemed somewhat reserved. He was just sampling many new dishes and hadn’t quite adjusted yet.

After the luncheon,

The Marquis suddenly proposed, “Your Highness, your lands have many unique specialties. If possible, I’d like to open trade with your territory.”

“Aren’t you worried about how the royal family will react at this time?”

“Let the knights worry about royal matters. I rode with Prince Alonso into battle, lost men and arms, and even ended up captured myself. The royal family can’t compensate me—I must find my own way to minimize losses.” Di Maria wasn’t particularly concerned about the royal stance; feudal lords enjoyed great autonomy, and the crown rarely interfered.

“What goods are you interested in trading?”

“Green tea, glass, white paper, and porcelain.” These were goods Di Maria had sampled during his visit and believed held great potential.

“Glass, white paper, and porcelain can be traded. We don’t produce enough green tea to do more than supply your castle. However, there’s another product—do you have any interest?”

“Do tell, Your Highness.”

“Salt. Sea salt—better than well or pond salt.”

“Salt?” Di Maria raised his eyebrows, seemingly considering the idea before making a quick decision. “I’m very interested, but what kind of production capacity does sea salt have?”

“Let the stewards work out the details. Have some tea.”

...

After reaching a verbal agreement on trade cooperation, the Marquis and his entourage departed from Black Horse Island.

Finally, Liszt could take time to speak carefully with the Great Pea Sprite.

Great Sprites were fiercely independent. Even after forming a contract with Liszt, after learning its situation, it remained sullen and unwilling to face him.

“Denio, you’ll be living here from now on,” Liszt said as he entered the insect house, finding the Great Pea Sprite Denio hiding inside.

Denio was the name given by the Yuhuashi Family.

It looked up at Liszt, its pretty face fell. “I don’t like it here. Some spirit bug down the hall is really noisy—it’s been howling ‘waaah, waaah’ nonstop all afternoon.”