Chapter 765 Learning Bird Language

During the voyage, Liszt named the three little Flame Dragonbirds based on the shades of their feathers—Little Yellow, Little Red, and Little Purple.

The three birds had huge appetites and were quite picky, eating only monster beast meat and refusing ordinary animal meat.

Moreover, Liszt discovered that they could even consume potions. After drinking the magic potions, their aura surged rapidly. In this aspect, they indeed bore similarities to dragons, which explained why they were classified as super-tier dragon beasts—possessing the powerful effects of a dragon bloodline. In fact, they would develop formidable dragon-might upon reaching adulthood.

This time, Liszt kept many leftover Flame Dragonbird bones from Leo’s meals. Using the dragonbone anchoring technique provided by Virginia Truth, he could induce the bones to emit dragon-might—though incomparable to Leo’s, it should be enough to deter sea monsters in the waters.

Back then, the ships of the Magic Goat Clan flourished precisely because of the dragonbone anchoring technique.

Once the shipyard in Port Town mastered the construction of three-masted sailing ships, combined with lateen sail technology, battering ram technology, and dragonbone anchoring, they would undoubtedly form a powerful fleet capable of dominating the seas. This would ensure overwhelming superiority over the fleets of the Sapphire Duchy and the Kingdom of the Eagle, securing maritime supremacy.

"Little Red, don’t run off!" Liszt scolded as he saw Little Red attempting to fly toward the sea. However, Little Red had no idea it was called Little Red.

It merely glanced back at the source of the noise—Liszt—before plunging headfirst into the ocean.

But the next moment, a coiling waterspout wrapped around it and tossed it back onto the ship. That was Acheronides’ water-controlling ability. Within the range of her control, drowning or escaping was nearly impossible for any creature.

"Scree!" Little Red flapped its wings and squawked wildly.

Liszt stood up and grabbed it by the neck. "Behave!"

With Little Red subdued, Little Yellow and Little Purple also settled down. Liszt shook his head and sighed, "Once we’re back, I’ll have to craft some birdcages. Taming them to the obedience level of Blizzard Beasts won’t be easy… Even super-tier dragon beasts are formidable in combat in their juvenile stage."

Despite having just hatched that day, any one of the three little Flame Dragonbirds could easily kill an ordinary human—equipped with sharp beaks, claws, robust physiques, and agile speed, they were natural-born predators.

"Brother, perhaps Ai Ni understands the language of Flame Dragonbirds. It should be involved in their training," Acheronides suddenly suggested.

"Hmm?"

"I’ve observed and recorded Ai Ni’s various bird calls and noticed a very orderly pattern. I’ve also communicated with Ai Ni, and it indeed understands the meanings behind different bird calls. Although the language of Flame Dragonbirds is relatively simple and limited in scope, it’s a good means of communication."

"Ai Ni actually knows bird language?" Liszt was astonished.

Though he had formed a pact with this Grand Sprite of the Phoenix Roost, sharing a mental connection, there were too many spirits to carefully sort through each one’s thoughts. He had always assumed Ai Ni’s bird calls were just mindless chirping, like the chaotic noises of forest birds that didn’t constitute real communication.

Now that Ai Ni understood bird language, training the Flame Dragonbirds presented another option. Liszt immediately decided, "Let’s try training them first. If the three little birds show good obedience, Ai Ni won’t be needed. If they’re disobedient, we’ll involve Ai Ni in their training."

Training wasn’t urgent, though.

Liszt soon shifted the topic to the fusion of the Flame Dragonbirds’ souls and tail feathers, sharing his observations with Acheronides and planning to push the Magic Guild’s research on souls at the right time.

However, the mention of souls brought another hidden worry to Liszt’s mind.

Leo’s dark thoughts were constantly festering. Each time they were severed, he remained pure for a while, but they would eventually regrow—making it hard to eradicate them completely.

Of course, while Liszt was riding Leo, the dark thoughts couldn’t stir trouble; they’d be cut down the moment they surfaced. But if the day came when Liszt’s vitality waned and there was no dragon knight to restrain Leo, the dark thoughts would inevitably flourish, eventually turning him back into a malevolent dragon.

He might even turn on Liszt’s descendants.

The solution was simple—release the Fire Dragon into the wild forests and let it become a feral beast. But abandoning a dragon was a waste, especially since its fire-attribute super-magic would be crucial for future industry.

"If I could contract a Sylph Dragon and gain immortality, Leo could stay by my side forever… Ah, why worry so much? My future is a limitless world. Perhaps one day, I’ll leave the kingdom to explore the legendary continent and the lands beyond the Devil Sea, riding Leo away forever."

The idea of being a king, confined to a palace for life, was hard to imagine.

Ever since riding a dragon, his heart had grown restless—why not see the world? When powerless, fine food, clothing, and shelter were enough. But with power, he naturally wanted to roam the world and experience its wonders.

...

Returning to Black Horse Harbor.

The territory officials immediately began loading the prepared supplies onto the Flame—Liszt had already contacted the Magic Guild via Magic Platform, issuing orders for the preparation of supplies.

Currently, the production of Magic Platforms is limited. The exploration fleet has four, the mage towers have two, Thorn Fortress has one, and the Flame carries two. In total, there are only nine Magic Platforms, with those on the exploration fleet being Magic Platform 2.0, while the rest are the simpler Magic Platform 1.0.

These Magic Platforms are still in the prototype stage, undergoing continuous improvement and optimization during use, aiming for more efficient communication by the time Magic Platform 3.0 is designed.

Subsequent optimizations will include code optimizations and the addition of self-destruct mechanisms, encryption safeguards, and other measures to prevent technological leaks. The final design, Magic Platform 4.0, will mark the time for widespread deployment across the territory—Liszt plans to complete the Magic Platform 4.0 deployment by the time he rides his third dragon.

With three dragons under his command, along with his and Acheronides' formidable presence, dominance over the seas will no longer require any restraint. Even if Magic Platform 4.0 is exposed, no power would dare to recklessly attempt to seize it.

As crates of supplies were loaded onto the ship, Fox, now serving as the captain of the Black Horse Island Knight Regiment, had already assembled three knight units, ready to embark on a detailed exploration of the new island—Marcus, the former captain of the Black Horse Island Knight Regiment, had officially handed over his duties to assume the role of Counselor in Giant Kelp City.

The port town is soon to be upgraded to Giant Kelp City.

For his former family tutor, Liszt naturally holds great trust. He plans to appoint Marcus as the first deputy commander when he establishes the Burning Knight Regiment, akin to the Blue Blood Knight Regiment. By the time Emily matures, Marcus will likely have accumulated enough campaign honors to successfully transition to a secondary role.

Fox, a sky knight, is currently the most suitable successor for the position of Black Horse Island Knight Regiment captain. In times of peace, the regiment will be under his command for exploring new islands.

This also presents opportunities for merit, though with fewer military accolades.

"Fox, rest for the night. We depart promptly at seven tomorrow morning. You’ll have two weeks to explore the new island—chart its layout and survey its resources."

"As you command, My Lord!"