Chapter 786: Magic Aura Flickers

Liszt was already preparing for the new war.

After the news of the Lightgreen Gem Dragon, long sought by the Kingdom of the Eagle, leaked, all nations believed that the Lightgreen Gem Dragon had escaped the mental imprint of the First Dragon Knight and become part of the ranks of wild, rogue dragons.

Perhaps many countries were secretly sending people to search for the Lightgreen Gem Dragon.

But for the Blastfurnace Kingdom and the Kingdom of Steel Ridge, this was the perfect opportunity to attack the Kingdom of the Eagle—with one less dragon, they should cough up a sizable territory.

Many nations coveted this land, but the Sapphire Duchy and Liszt had no immediate designs on the land, focusing instead on monopolizing naval dominance. Coincidentally, the Kingdom of the Eagle was too preoccupied with its own troubles, and such a golden opportunity could not be missed. Across the entire Sapphire Duchy, the knights were gearing up for war.

"This time, I won't let my rank stop me and let only my followers fight!" Liszt, who had regretted not capturing more nobles last time, secretly vowed, "I'll capture as many as possible—any noble from earls to marquises must be caught, and they'll have to exchange spirit bugs, potion ingredients, or combat techniques for their freedom!"

The Marquis of Raging Waves had earned him a Grand Sprite. Other marquises and earls might not be as wealthy as the Marquis of Raging Waves, and while Grand Sprites were rare, small spirit bugs were never too many.

Additionally, black nightshade bugs and Thorn Bugs were also highly sought after—the value of supporting ingredients was several times that of magic herbs.

Of course, if he could obtain potion seeds for the spirit bugs he already had, that would be ideal. He also needed spirit bugs for guangye baqia and shisuan plants, as he now had the magic herbs but lacked the corresponding spirit bugs.

"And talent—shipbuilding talent, navigation talent—capture as much as possible. When raiding ports, I should personally lead the assault to ensure no skilled person slips away... It would also be great to capture a few sky knights. I have too few under my command."

Once a sky knight was captured, others might struggle to recruit them, but Liszt would face no such difficulty.

After all, he was a Dragon Knight founding a new nation—though sky knights accustomed to the mainland's wealth might be reluctant to rough it at sea.

Just as Liszt was rubbing his hands imagining the plunder he could seize from this maritime campaign, Acheronides caused a sensation on Black Horse Island. She brought the Thunder Dragon Turtle ashore from the estuary of the canal, all the way to a clearing by Thorn Fortress. Then, along with Cris, Kenli, and other great magicians, she began studying the Thunder Dragon Turtle.

Kenli was a great magician from the Kingdom of Steel Ridge, but she quickly earned Acheronides' approval due to her excellent attitude—she was genuinely devoted to knowledge without agenda, and her solid foundation and extensive knowledge made her a perfect assistant for Acheronides.

The turtle shell, a hundred meters in diameter, loomed like a hillock.

Those who saw it stared in stunned silence.

Even Marquis Niuwei, who was preparing to attend a meeting on Blue Dragon Island, made a special trip on his treasured black albatross mount to Thorn Fortress to see the Thunder Dragon Turtle.

"Is this another lesser dragon?"

"Father, according to the official terminology in the upcoming *Encyclopedia of Magical Beasts*, it shouldn't be called a sub-dragon but a Supreme Dragon Beast—a thunder-attribute Supreme Dragon Beast, the Thunder Dragon Turtle," Liszt explained.

"Have you already tamed it?" Lee William marveled.

"Acheronides tamed it. She can communicate with it through water vibrations, and she happened to need a suitable seaborne platform. The Thunder Dragon Turtle's back is broad—I'm planning to build a villa on it so Acheronides and I can get work done even as it swims."

Liszt outlined his vision. Since the Thunder Dragon Turtle was now theirs, aside from research, they might as well make full use of it.

Lee William seemed to swallow hard. "A mobile sea villa... how wonderful."

"Actually, it's not that great. The Thunder Dragon Turtle is still a sea monster—clumsy to steer, no match for my *Flame*'s handling. If Acheronides hadn't insisted on keeping it, I would've slaughtered it long ago to study its shell. Besides, a turtle this big must be packed with nutrients."

"Heh," Lee William chuckled. "You always manage to find these incredible dragonkin and magical beasts."

"The knights' grace shines on me—I am, after all, the Scion of Glory."

"I can already imagine how vast the Flame Family will become as a dragon-breeding dynasty. Our flames will dance across the waves—you'll become part of the legends of the legendary continent."

"Not enough. I need to ride a few more dragons."

Marquis Niuwei was invited to stay for a meal at Thorny Fortress. After the meal, the Marquis immediately rode off on his Black Albatross. Ever since acquiring this super-magical beast mount, he used it for every journey, including his trips to Blue Dragon Island. It was said he even insisted on riding the Black Albatross there.

As for the Marquis’s ostentatious behavior, Liszt merely shook his head.

He kept his thoughts to himself.

The weather in March was often accompanied by drizzly rain. Spring plowing had been completed, and the plantations on Black Horse Island flourished. This relatively small island was home to an abundance of spirit-bugs, including three Grand Sprite plants—Thorn, Phoenix-roost Parasol, and Pea.

"Spring has arrived, and the spirit-bugs should begin reproducing. I wonder if we can harvest another batch of spirit-bugs during spring and summer... Theoretically, with Black Horse Island’s scientific cultivation methods, the reproduction of spirit-bugs shouldn’t be lacking. Moreover, perennial plants should have accumulated enough energy to nurture them..."

After inspecting the results of spring plowing and promoting a group of officials,

Liszt disengaged from the administrative duties of his territory and began anticipating the progress of the Smoke Task. Today, the magic array Acheronides had constructed for Parris’s breakthrough was finally completed. This massive magic array had consumed over 7,000 gold coins worth of magical materials from the territory.

For the advancement of the Light-Magic Swordsman, it was truly a hefty investment.

The magic array bore some resemblance to Stonehenge, with stone pillars embedded with numerous magical materials and the ground carved with arcane patterns filled with magical substances.

Parris, wearing new leather armor, stood at the center of the magic array, preparing nervously.

As Acheronides activated the magic array, the entire Stonehenge-like structure began to glow with magic power, eventually coalescing into pure white radiance from the light-attribute magic power.

Moments later, Parris followed the instructions and began channeling her mana.

She resonated with the magic array, adjusting her mana flow to match the rhythm of the array—a process that required painstaking synchronization.

Liszt and Acheronides observed from the side.

One cast Magic Eye, while the other used Magic Eye, carefully examining the connection between Parris and the magic array. The synchronization process was neither earth-shattering nor loud—apart from the intense glow, there was no other disturbance. Yet, in their vision, countless arcane mechanisms were in motion.

After an hour of synchronization, Parris finally achieved perfect synchronization with the magic array.

At this point, Acheronides abruptly guided the array into its second phase, accelerating the movement of light-attribute magic particles.

Sensing the change in the array, Parris adjusted accordingly.

The intermediate-level mana within her gradually began to boil, attempting to break through. Normally, external light-attribute magic would disrupt this boiling process, but this time was different. The light-attribute magic entering her body was swiftly stimulated by the array, synchronizing and upgrading alongside her.

Five minutes later.

The glow of the magic array trembled violently, and the illuminated symbols on the stone pillars extinguished one by one. Only Parris, standing at the center, radiated a blinding light. Slowly, the glow on her body began to recede, leaving only her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose still emitting light—until even those faded away.

The moment the light vanished, Parris’s figure suddenly shuddered, then vanished without a trace.

When she reappeared, she was already dozens of meters in the air.