Chapter 773: Tasteless

"Does Leo actually eat these?" Marquis Niuwei narrowed his eyes, putting on his most shocked expression to express his disapproval of this idea. "So you're raising phoenixes just to feed Leo?"

Liszt glanced at the worked-up Marquis Niuwei.

He'd already grasped the other's thoughts. While a Supreme Dragon Beast was indeed a showy mount choice, it couldn't hold a candle to a Wyvern Phoenix—especially one that could be tamed from a young age. Liszt used "Supreme Dragon Beast" as a new term, but Lee William still stuck with the term "wyvern."

If he couldn't ride a dragon, a wyvern was still damn impressive!

"Father, as fire-attribute Supreme Dragon Beasts, Flame Dragonbirds don't match your mana attribute. Moreover, their purpose is to aid the Fire Dragon's growth. Surely you see what matters more here."

With Liszt's words, the Marquis could say no more. "Of course, aiding the Fire Dragon's growth is more important... It's just eating at me. You shouldn't have let them appear before my eyes. Now I wonder if I'll even have the enthusiasm to fully tame the Dark Albatross after seeing the Wyvern Phoenixes."

It was like standing a 32B next to a 36D—suddenly, the interest in the former vanished, and even the best pickup lines seemed worthless.

"Father, you should look at it differently. Flame Dragonbirds take a long time to mature—decades, possibly. The Dark Albatross, on the other hand, is ready-to-fight strength. A Supreme Dragon Beast's strength isn't far behind a Domain Knight's. Riding it would basically give you the combat prowess of a Domain Knight..."

As Liszt spoke, he suddenly realized the dynamic had shifted. Originally, he had the superiority of gifting the Marquis a mount, but now it felt like he was a salesman pitching a product—with the customer looking thoroughly underwhelmed.

So he subtly shifted the topic. "Of course, if you aren't keen on Supreme Dragon Beasts, we can simply butcher the Dark Albatross for meat. Perhaps someday I’ll come across a water-attribute Supreme Dragon Beast, and then you can tame that instead."

Hearing this, Marquis Niuwei—who had been eyeing the Flame Dragonbirds hungrily—immediately straightened his expression. "No need. This Dark Albatross will do just fine!"

He hadn’t read the fable about dropping the watermelon to pick up the sesame, but he understood the principle. After longing for a mount his entire life, how could he give up now? It was just a bit disappointing—he had arrived excited, ready to proudly show off his new Supreme Dragon Beast mount.

But then the three Flame Dragonbirds upstaged everything, leaving him with a lingering disappointment toward the Supreme Dragon Beast mount.

Three Wyvern Phoenixes!

Right there but out of reach—how frustrating!

Taking a deep breath to clear his mind, Marquis Niuwei Lee William swiftly displayed the decisiveness of a seasoned knight. When he looked at the Dark Albatross again, his eyes held no other emotion—only pure conquest. "Liszt, watch my back!"

"Don’t worry, Father." Liszt had already roused the Fire Dragon Leo, ready to suppress the Dark Albatross at any moment. Without careful oversight, the Dark Albatross might even kill Lee William.

With a powerful leap, Lee William vaulted onto the Dark Albatross’s neck, gripping its feathers and securing himself firmly.

Being mounted, the Dark Albatross grew agitated. "Squawk!"

It twisted its neck and thrashed, trying to throw Lee William off. But the Marquis’s water-attribute mana flared, making his body cling like superglue as he attempted to merge his mana with the beast’s magic power, forging a connection.

The best way to tame a mount was to blend its magic power with the rider’s mana, imprinting the rider’s aura. This would weaken the beast’s psychological resistance.

But the Dark Albatross clearly disliked Lee William’s roughness.

It resisted fiercely, flapping its wings and rolling despite the orichalcum shackles on its feet, trying to crush the Marquis. Just then, Leo—who had been watching the spectacle—let out a mighty roar. "ROAR!" His draconic might slammed into the Dark Albatross.

BOOM!

The Dark Albatross stiffened briefly before ceasing its struggles, letting out only a small, pitiful squawk. "Squawk..."

Leo slowly rose, nostrils flaring with fire, his menacing glare locked onto the Dark Albatross.

Lee William seized the opportunity to finally channel his mana into the body of the Black Albatross. One was water-attribute magic power, the other water-attribute mana—both shared similarities. Thus, the mana smoothly merged with the Black Albatross's magic power, imbuing it with his own energy.

"Squawk!"

The Black Albatross cried out in discomfort.

Lee William gently stroked its feathers, trying to make his mana more soothing so the Black Albatross could sense his kindness. "Black Shearwater—let's call you *Black Shearwater*!" Shearwater was the local term for seabirds, especially those with webbed feet.

"Squawk!" The Black Albatross tossed its head irritably, still trying to throw Lee William off.

But with the Fire Dragon glaring at it, the bird dared not act recklessly and could only endure Lee William's gradual displays of affection, as his mana steadily marked the creature. This went on until sunrise, when the sun rose. Finally, the Black Albatross could bear it no longer and surrendered.

It lowered its head, allowing Lee William to examine it freely.

Marquis Niuwei couldn't hide the excitement in his voice. "Liszt, remove the orichalcum shackles from its feet. I've tamed it!"

"Father, are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Lee William had full confidence. "This Super Magical Beast isn't particularly wild by nature. I can feel it has already submitted to me..."

In truth, it was likely submission to the harsh circumstances—being stared down by a menacing dragon made resistance nearly impossible.

Once the shackles were removed, the Black Albatross regained freedom of movement.

Lee William attempted to guide it into walking.

Though the Super Magical Beast was majestic in flight and graceful in water, its movements on land were awkward. It wobbled unsteadily, nearly stumbling several times—hardly befitting a creature famed for mastery of sea, land, and sky.

"Liszt, do you have any stored Super Magical Beast meat? Lend me a batch."

After working with it briefly, Lee William borrowed a large quantity of Super Magical Beast meat from Liszt and began feeding the creature.

It had to be said—smart Super Magical Beasts knew when to adapt. Since resistance was futile, it chose to accept and even enjoy the situation. By the time Lee William finished feeding it, the Black Albatross clearly had grown much more comfortable with him.

After the meal,

morning had come.

By the time Liszt completed his knight training routine, Lee William was still working with the Black Albatross.

The results were promising. At Lee William's command—"Black Shearwater, run! Fly!"—the Black Albatross swiftly flapped its wings, began a takeoff run, and clumsily but successfully took to the air. After circling Thorn Castle twice, it plunged straight into the sea.

With a splash, it plunged into the water and began swimming.

Moments later, Lee William returned to Thorn Castle astride the Black Albatross, his face beaming with pride. The massive Black Shearwater made quite an entrance as it landed with a gust of wind.

However, a few sharp bird calls—"Skraawk!" and "Screeee!"—quickly shattered Lee William's pride.

No matter how majestic a Super Magical Beast was, it couldn't compare to the grandeur of three "Wyvern Phoenix" Flame Dragonbirds. And these three little birds were merely raised by Liszt "as rations for Leo."

It was humbling.

Lee William took a deep breath and regained his composure. "Liszt, Black Shearwater will need to stay at Thorn Castle for now, with Leo keeping watch, until it truly bonds with me."