Chapter 762 Flame Ship

"No more cramming onto a three-meter shell for sea travel!"

After the retrofit of the Sunset at New Port Town's dock, the second ship of three-masted class officially set sail. However, this vessel was quite peculiar—it had no sails, no masts, no oars, no rudder, just a bare frame adorned with several spacious cabins and a luxurious captain's quarters at the bow.

The ship was named the *Flame*.

This became Liszt's second flagship, propelled entirely by Acheronides' hydrokinesis.

Having experienced Acheronides' shell-controlled high-speed travel, Liszt had designed the *Flame* for their convenience, particularly for trips between Black Horse Island and Dodo Island. Before, they'd been stuck overnight in ramshackle huts or flimsy tents while waiting for Leo. But with this special vessel, they could rest comfortably in its luxurious cabins.

Acheronides also had a large research lab aboard, allowing her to conduct experiments during their journeys.

Moreover, except on covert missions—like to Mind Island or Dodo Island—they could bring servants along to attend to their needs.

For the *Flame*'s inaugural voyage, however, no servants accompanied them.

It was just Liszt and Acheronides, settling into the lavish bow cabin. Then Acheronides manipulated the seawater, launching the *Flame* like a torpedo, carving two massive waves in its wake as it disappeared from shore.

"This is absolutely incredible!"

"His Highness the Archmage is so powerful!"

"The Dragon Knight and Archmage truly stand at the pinnacle of strength!"

"On the open sea, no one can rival them. Once we establish our kingdom, we'll undoubtedly become the new maritime overlords!" The attending knights gazed at the now-calm waters, marveling endlessly.

Distance creates admiration, but sometimes proximity reveals true wonder.

Liszt and Acheronides were often seen in their domain, yet each appearance only sparked greater worship. This small island on the legendary continent's edge was gradually becoming part of the legend itself.

At minimum, mages from neighboring kingdoms were already journeying as pilgrims to Black Horse Island.

...

Snowflakes drifted down one by one.

The *Flame* rode the rough seas effortlessly, its motion imperceptible. Acheronides multitasked—while controlling the ship's movement, she drafted a magic circle's design. She'd begun creating her second super magic, having completed its theoretical framework.

This new super magic was provisionally dubbed *"Spiral Ultra-High-Pressure Water Drill."* Similar in principle to her previous *"Chainsaw Ultra-High-Pressure Water Cutter,"* it differed in magical structure and theoretical application. The *Water Cutter* specialized in slicing, while the *Water Drill* focused on piercing.

Liszt sipped half-slope milk, watching Acheronides work intently. He wondered if he should feel somewhat ashamed.

Acheronides had developed super magics from nothing, overseeing numerous magical projects while creating both the *Water Cutter* and *Water Drill*. Meanwhile, he still hadn't devised the third technique of *Dragon Aura Manual*, much less mastered the first move *Dragon Slash* or the second *Skyburn*.

Not that Liszt was lazy.

He simply had too many responsibilities to focus solely on training.

"Brother, we're approaching Dodo Island. This voyage took eighty-six minutes—slightly slower than shell travel, with higher magic consumption," Acheronides said without looking up. Right as she finished speaking, Dodo Island appeared on the horizon.

Eighty-six minutes to cover over eight hundred kilometers.

That meant the *Flame* traveled at nearly 560 kilometers per hour—almost half the speed of sound. While slower than commercial airliners (cruising at 800 km/h) and far behind fighter jets (exceeding 2,000 km/h), in this world, such speed was nothing less than awe-inspiring.

Boom!

The waterspout carried the Flame directly onto the shore. As the water receded, the ship was placed steadily on the beach. Liszt stood up, and a burst of flames erupted from his chest, exploding mid-air as a Fire Dragon with a wingspan of twenty-five meters soared above.

Twenty-five meters, not twenty.

After devouring the corpse of a Flame Dragonbird and persuading Liszt to part with ten Phoenix Feathers, Leo's wingspan had expanded by five meters, his body growing noticeably larger. Were it not for his continuing research, Liszt wouldn’t have hesitated to feed him the other Flame Dragonbird corpse and the remaining six Phoenix Feathers.

He had sampled Flame Dragonbird meat—rather plain, not as tasty as chicken.

But it was rich in fire-attribute magic, making it fortifying for knights with fire-attribute mana. A single bite for an Earth Knight equaled a full day’s worth of potions.

"Whoo-hoo!"

Leo roared, flying straight for the volcanic crater of Doudou Island to continue his training.

Liszt gave the three jade boxes a pat to rouse their occupants—the drowsy Grand Sprites Jie La, Ash, and Pyke. Jie La and Ash alighted on Liszt’s shoulders, one on each side—they could fly. Pyke, flightless, had to be cradled in Liszt’s palm.

"Wah!"

Jie La glared at Ash.

Ash remained calm, curiously surveying the island ahead, ignoring Jie La.

Pyke chuckled, "Handsome Pyke reporting for duty!"

From a distance came avian cries of "kreee" and "kraa," followed by the Phoenix Perch Tree’s Grand Sprite, Ai Ni, fluttering over. "Liszt, you’re here."

Her Serpent Tongue pronunciation had improved, but she still reverted to bird speech when excited.

"Ai Ni, stay here with Acheronides to continue learning Serpent Tongue and Wind Speech. I have business with the Lightgreen Gem Dragon."

"Very well, Liszt."

...

The Lightgreen Gem Dragon lay in deep slumber, its body not too deeply covered in snow. Its breathing had grown increasingly powerful lately, seeming on the verge of awakening.

"Jie La, Ash, Pyke, do you like this dragon?" Liszt had brought the Grand Sprites mainly to see if the dragon might spark their evolution.

They had already tested Leo, but none of the three Grand Sprites had shown any reaction.

Pyke spoke first. "Handsome Pyke doesn’t fancy this dragon, Liszt. You know me—I prefer a water dragon. I could ride it across the seas, and no monster would dare slight us. This one lacks... distinction."

Truthfully, Liszt hadn’t held much hope for Pyke. Sea spirits naturally favored water dragons—after all, no other dragons ventured into the ocean for them to bond with.

Ash spoke next, perched atop the Lightgreen Gem Dragon. It produced a length of rope from its pouch and earnestly tested if it would fit around the dragon. "No good. Too massive—my rope won’t hold it. Liszt, need binding?"

"No, thanks."

"Think nothing of it."

The Pea Great Spirit might have been incompatible or simply unresponsive—it felt nothing for the Lightgreen Gem Dragon. That left Jie La, who had only recently become a Grand Sprite and was barely eleven years old. After touching the dragon’s scales, it stood completely baffled, unsure what Liszt intended.

In the end, none showed signs of evolutionary potential.

"Let’s go. Your part’s done—back to the Flame for sleep." Liszt returned the Grand Sprites to their boxes, leaving them in Acheronides’ care.

He then set off with Ai Ni toward the Phoenix Perch Tree to prepare roasted Flame Dragonbird eggs.

Just as he was about to depart, the arcane binary communicator in the room began chiming—a message was arriving.

Acheronides quickly decoded it. "Brother, the exploration fleet has discovered an island nearly as large as Black Horse Island."