Chapter 832: Priority

"A large number of indigenous tribes!"

"Excellent!"

Liszt was very satisfied with the quest reward. If all the indigenous tribes were at the level of this small one before him, then the more, the better—they would be the perfect source of serfs.

In an instant, the smoke-formed serpent tongue transformed into a new passage.

"Mission: The discovery of indigenous tribes is undoubtedly good news. Among them, natives wielding magic exude an air of mystery. Why not delve deeper into these tribes, uncover the origins of their cultivation system, and clarify their current state of development? Reward: Treasures of the indigenous tribes."

"These tribes even have treasures? It seems these indigenous tribes indeed have some extraordinary origins."

At once, he considered storming in, capturing what appeared to be the leaders of these indigenous tribes, and slowly interrogating them about their situation. But he quickly dismissed the idea—the reason was simple: the natives spoke in unintelligible babble.

And he had no patience to translate their language word by word.

"It’s more appropriate to assemble a knight contingent and summon a few mages to study the current state of the indigenous tribes together." With that, he abruptly mounted the Invisible Dragon Bard and left the indigenous tribe.

He made a beeline for the expedition team.

Duert Hongxingguo's expedition team not only had a large number of knights but also several mages dispatched by the Magic Guild, making it convenient to carry out this mission.

Spotting Duert’s location,

Liszt leaped directly from the back of the invisible dragon, unleashing his Dragon Fear as he descended. A wave of Dragon Fear washed over the entire expedition team. Knights nearby grasped their throats as if seized by an unseen force, their chests heavy and breathing labored.

"Enemy attack!" A knight bellowed despite the strain.

Others unsheathed their swords with a metallic ring, ready to form ranks and face the threat.

Thud!

Amid the knights’ disarray, Liszt landed steadily on the ground. As he stood, he slowly withdrew his Dragon Fear and emerged from the settling dust.

Duert, maintaining high alert, saw a familiar figure gradually emerge from the direction of the noise—one that was seared into his memory.

The Fire Dragon Knight.

Liszt Tulip!

"My lord!" Duert could hardly believe his eyes.

"It's me. Stand down the knights." Liszt always enjoyed such a flashy, unannounced arrival, regardless of the commotion he caused.

As a dragon knight, he had to uphold his station’s prestige at all times.

Once Duert clearly saw Liszt's face, he sighed in relief and immediately sent nearby knights to restore order. Then, he dismounted and bowed. "I hadn’t expected Your Highness’s arrival and failed to greet you properly."

"I just came suddenly for a brief matter." Liszt gestured for Duert to follow him into the tent.

Inside, he first inquired about the events during the expedition team's voyage. Nothing major had occurred. Even when encountering storms, the fleet safely passed through thanks to the Wind-Calming Pearl and Water-Calming Pearl provided by the territory, arriving smoothly at the estuary of the Whirlpool River.

However, after entering the dense forests of the Whirlpool River, complications cropped up. First, some serfs fell ill or even died due to acclimatization. Next, the abundance of mosquitoes in the forest led to many serfs perishing from bites. Finally, the scorching weather caused numerous cases of heatstroke.

The fleet had brought a total of two thousand serfs, but after these repeated setbacks, over five hundred had fallen.

As for the knights, those with mana adapted well. Aside from a few who died in sudden beast attacks, the rest remained in full fighting condition.

"It seems we rushed things. The knights can adapt to the environment of Flame Island, but the serfs struggle." Liszt shook his head.

His heart ached slightly.

The serfs of the pioneering team lived and slept in the wilderness, facing constant dangers, far worse off than the serfs in Flame Town.

"Your Highness, casualties are inevitable in pioneering. They came for coin, so they should be ready to die for it," Duarte said indifferently. "Dead serfs can always be replaced later. The priority is to develop Flame Island and establish a settlement along the Whirlpool River as soon as possible."

In this world, knights were supposed to embody compassion, yet few truly pitied the serfs.

The vast class divide meant nobles saw commoners as beneath them. Their compassion was reserved only for their own class—knights who might fall in battle but were rarely killed otherwise, able to return to nobility after paying a ransom.

At this, Liszt said sternly, "Duarte, serfs are people too. You must change your attitude. The Flame Islands urgently need development, and every serf is a valuable resource. In the future, the knights of the Flame Kingdom will emerge from the descendants of these serfs."

Duarte nodded. "Your Highness, I understand. I’ll make sure to protect the serfs." Despite his words, his expression still showed his disdain.

This was a deeply ingrained mindset, hard to uproot without bloody revolution.

Liszt understood Duarte's mentality well. After all, he himself was a noble. Even he wouldn’t truly embrace notions like "equality for all." "No, Duarte, you still don’t grasp it... The serfs we bring here will one day raise enough knights to protect the Flame Kingdom."

Duarte remained silent.

Liszt continued, "Any serf who comes to pioneer the Flame Islands will be granted freeman status after the kingdom is established. They will be given land to farm, letting them work toward founding knightly houses in the near future—the backbone of the Flame Kingdom."

"Your Highness, isn’t this treatment too generous for the serfs?" Duarte asked cautiously.

"No. Listen, and you’ll understand my plan," Liszt smiled faintly. "The reason for this idea is simple. Not long ago, I discovered that Flame Island is home to numerous indigenous tribes. Their society is primitive, and their skin is darker than ours."

"Indigenous tribes?" Duarte widened his eyes.

"These tribes can perfectly serve as serfs for developing the Flame Islands, don’t you think?"

Duarte grew excited. "If there are so many indigenous tribes, enslaving them as serfs is far more practical. Though the serfs we brought are low in status, they share our bloodline and shouldn’t remain serfs... Now I grasp Your Highness’s vision."

"Good that you understand."

Liszt said calmly, "Muster a knightly company at once, along with a few magic practitioners, to investigate the nearby indigenous tribes. I need to understand their origins and development, preferably mastering their language... But until we uncover their roots, keep the operation confidential."

"Understood. I’ll assemble the knights at once!"