Chapter 802: Starry Seas

Acheronides returned to Black Horse Island, bringing news of the grand archipelago's discovery.

Liszt was exhilarated for an entire day. An island several times larger than Ironhoof Island—even surpassing Blue Dragon Island in size—could fully support the establishment of a nation.

Coupled with the surrounding large islands, this was essentially a ready-made location for the Kingdom of Flames.

Moreover, according to Acheronides, the distances between the islands were narrow, which would significantly reduce travel time between them and make them even more suitable for habitation and development.

The only drawback was that this archipelago was too far from the Sapphire Duchy. Based on Acheronides' precise remeasurement, it was a whopping 7,000 kilometers away. Even if the Magic Teleportation Circle at the Great Whirlpool were opened for navigation in the future, it would only cut the distance by about 3,000 kilometers.

Furthermore, the Magic Teleportation Circle at the Great Whirlpool seemed to be a one-way trip—you could send ships out but not get them back.

A round-trip trade voyage between the two nations would cover at least 11,000 kilometers. At the current speed of 10 knots for royal fast-sailing ships, the journey would take over 50 days. For ordinary 3-knot sailing ships, it would take at least half a year. Moving the territory's operations would be a huge pain.

Liszt personally had no concerns—he and Acheronides could zip across the seas aboard the Flame at a speed of 500 kilometers per hour. Even a 10,000-kilometer journey would take only 20 hours.

Including rest stops, a round trip could easily be completed in two days.

But he couldn’t possibly use the Flame to assist in relocating the territory. Doing so would require the Flame to make months of back-and-forth voyages to transport all the industries.

"Perhaps the Thunder Dragon Turtle could work as a transport?"

The Thunder Dragon Turtle wasn’t exactly speedy, but it was much quicker than royal fast-sailing ships. Even ordinary dragon turtles on Dragon Turtle Island weren’t slow—once tamed, they could haul ships effortlessly. Unfortunately, taming dragon turtles for this purpose might be just as difficult as inventing steam-powered ships.

Regardless, despite the remote location and challenging navigation, the discovery of the new archipelago remained a huge boon.

From this moment on, Liszt could begin preparing to relocate his territory and develop the new archipelago to lay the groundwork for a new nation.

"Should I first establish a Duchy as a transitional step, or directly declare a kingdom? It's a tough call. My old friend, the invisible dragon, hasn’t arrived yet, so I don't feel completely sure."

What a nice problem to have.

Liszt pulled his thoughts back from wandering and ultimately fixed his gaze on the Magic Teleportation Circle. "What I should prioritize is supporting Acheronides in deciphering the Magic Teleportation Circle, striving to master its construction method. That way, we could directly build a teleportation array on Black Horse Island."

The Great Whirlpool at sea could instantly transport the Discovery over 4,000 kilometers away—this was by far the fastest way to travel.

Once the Magic Teleportation Circle was developed, Liszt could fully realize his dream of ruling the seas surrounding the Legendary Continent, using the continent as his personal hunting preserve.

Not a bad plan.

But researching the Magic Teleportation Circle was no simple task.

Judging by the overwhelming spectacle of the Great Whirlpool, it was clear that the Magic Teleportation Circle was not some simple doorway where you walk in one side and out the other. Nor was it a metal array plate where one could stand and be teleported thousands of kilometers in the blink of an eye.

Yet no matter how daunting the challenge, Liszt was determined to research the Magic Teleportation Circle. This magic would be the foundation for his grand ambitions.

"Give me the Magic Teleportation Circle, and I have the confidence to change this world!"

There was a time when his dreams had been simple: to eat his fill, ride a dragon, and live without a care. Later, after riding a dragon, his dreams evolved into protecting a nation, passing on his bloodline, and exploring the wondrous world. Now, his aspirations had expanded once more—exploring the world was no longer a challenge; changing it was.

"Contract with the Fairy Dragon and become the immortal Lord of Dragon Domain!"

"Develop the Magic Teleportation Circle, collect dragons of all kinds, and rule the Legendary Continent!"

"Fuse magic and mana to pioneer a new era where technology and magic power coexist!"

"Then understand this planet, journey to the moon, and—if possible—embark on a spontaneous interstellar voyage!"

The more he imagined, the more excited he became.

After indulging in grandiose daydreams, he gradually reined in his thoughts, setting aside these grandiose ideas and returning to reality. Although opportunities kept coming one after another, it was undeniable that his current foundation was still shallow, and supporting two dragons was a heavy burden.

He still needed to strive relentlessly toward the goal of establishing his own kingdom.

...

The news of the nation-building archipelago was temporarily suppressed by Liszt.

He didn’t want to reveal his cards before things became clear—at least not before he had extracted sufficient concessions from the Sapphire Duchy. After all, he had risked being slain by dragons to save the Sapphire family. If he didn’t scrape a layer off the Sapphire Duchy, it would be a huge loss.

In short, he intended to demand money, resources, and technology from the Sapphire Duchy.

Under his constant urging, the shipyard in his territory, now receiving technical support, finally launched a brand-new three-masted cargo ship. After sailing tests, it met all required standards.

Upon the new ship’s return, Liszt generously rewarded all the shipbuilders and personally named the vessel "Expedition," symbolizing that the Flame Territory's commerce would venture into vast seas and marking the beginning of a great maritime era that he was about to usher in.

The Sapphire Duchy had pioneered the age of navigation but remained limited to regional waters.

Liszt’s ambition, however, was uncontainable, not even by the Devil’s Sea.

To dominate the four seas around the Legendary Mainland, then advance into the Devil’s Sea, advancing from coastal shallows to open ocean—that would truly mark the great maritime era!

After concluding the new ship’s launch celebration, Liszt rode on the back of his strider, Loki, leisurely summoning the mist mission: "Complete the mission, reward: peculiarities of Soul Island."

"Finally completed the mission. Time to investigate Soul Island again."

He suddenly sighed with weariness: "I’ll have to go with Acheronides... It feels like ever since she became an Archmage, I can’t do anything without her. Aside from her possibly being quicker-witted than I, it’s mostly because she’s peerless in maritime speed, saving time and boosting efficiency."

Without Acheronides, Liszt had no idea how long it would take him to conduct maritime expeditions, let alone build a nation—that would be a distant dream.

Fortunately, he had Acheronides.

Though she had grown somewhat less like an innocent young siren under his guidance, their bond had only grown stronger day by day.

A faint smile curled his lips as Liszt smoothed the wind-tousled golden hair from his forehead. At nineteen, his face still bore traces of youth, yet his demeanor exuded undeniable nobility.

A crimson cloak, silver armor, and an iridescent steed.

He was the most dazzling radiant presence on Black Horse Island.

Wherever he passed, whether officials, knights, or laboring commoners and serfs, all couldn't help but show reverence, bowing their heads in respect.

To this, he was accustomed, unmoved.

His focus remained solely on the new mist mission.

"Mission: Last year, the Lightgreen Gem Dragon’s blood spilled across Soul Island, turning the entire island green. Though most of the magic power was absorbed by the Soulfruit Tree and partially by the Crystal Cyathea, rich veins of crystals and gemstones were still formed. Please begin extraction. Reward: Fractured Emerald."