Chapter 902: The Transverse Mountains

This chapter is an extra update for "babygo666"'s generous reward.

————

Dragons—no one is immune to their allure.

Just as Liszt, despite already possessing several dragons, found himself irresistibly drawn to the orichalcum dragon and began making plans. When Lee William heard that the Tulip family might also have a chance to ride a dragon, his heartbeat quickened momentarily before he quickly composed himself—the kingdom was sure to launch a Dragon Knight candidate program.

If the Tulip family produced an exceptionally talented descendant, their inclusion in the plan would be natural. Though the Bull Marquis was a poor example, blood ties made them closer than outsiders.

Moreover.

As long as the soul imprint belonged to the Flame family, outsiders riding dragons would merely be just hired help—it’s not like they could steal the dragons.

Lee William’s outlook had changed a lot recently; he no longer focused solely on the Tulip family. After all, the Flame family was just Liszt alone, and as long as Liszt remained in power, his protection and favor for the Tulip family wouldn’t end. Perhaps one day, the Tulip family would become a true dragon-raising family.

Another crucial point was that both the Tulip family and the Flame family were families he’d sired—Liszt was his son!

For Lee William, life was already perfect.

Now, he simply hoped his eldest son, Levis, could also enjoy prosperity, and that his youngest son, Lytton, could get a piece of the pie.

"Your elder brother has limited talent. The Tulip family will eventually pass to Richard’s hands. I hope Richard can rise to the occasion, and as his uncle, you must guide him."

"Rest assured, if Richard has talent, I won’t let him waste it." Liszt was quite fond of his adorable little nephew.

Because he was a transmigrator, he wasn’t deeply attached to family, but little Richard, now two years old, had grown up before his eyes.

Between both lives, his psychological age was no longer young. Though he had never been a parent, his feelings toward children had gradually changed. Young people often found children annoying, while older individuals usually adored them—even the mighty Liszt was no different.

……

After two interactions.

Once their interests were clear, an agreement was swiftly signed, and Duke Piero soon provided information about Andre and the orichalcum dragon.

"At this location, adjacent to the WindSnow Mountain Duchy, a vassal state of the Huangshi Plain Kingdom, lies the untamed southern wilds of the Kingdom of the Eagle. The terrain here is complex, undulating, with many jagged cliffs and rugged peaks. The orichalcum dragon resides here, and the Eagle royal family seems to refer to this area as the 'Hengduan Mountains.'"

"Hengduan Mountains?"

Liszt raised an eyebrow, recognizing the name. He had read about it in a book collected by the Bull Marquis. That book, written by a mage named Saiswen Truth from the "Silver Moon Assembly," was gifted to Alonso Cyclamen. It had no title, only a dragon depicted head-to-tail on the cover.

It had somehow landed on the Bull Marquis’s desk and was coincidentally taken by Liszt during the attack on Pinefort Castle.

He dubbed it *The Dragon-Raising Manual*, which documented all the Silver Moon Assembly’s research on dragons. The Silver Moon Assembly was a mage organization in the Kingdom of the Eagle, and Saiswen’s gift was probably a bet on Alonso’s future before he became a Dragon Knight.

As a member of the Dragon Knight selection plan, the young Alonso was clearly a top prospect for mages to back—and he did indeed succeed in riding a dragon.

*The Dragon-Raising Manual* mentioned that Saiswen had studied the "evil earth dragon of the Hengduan Mountains."

At this thought, Liszt’s eyes gleamed faintly as he calmly remarked, "Wasn’t there an evil earth dragon in the Hengduan Mountains?"

"Earth dragon?" Duke Piero paused, not panicked but genuinely surprised. "Your Highness knows about the Hengduan Mountains?"

"Why?"

"I don’t know if there was an earth dragon in the Hengduan Mountains, but when I sent rats to investigate, I did catch wind of one being there before it disappeared. Afterward, the Hengduan Mountains became the orichalcum dragon’s dwelling, where it has lived for nearly three years."

Piero was dying to ask how Liszt knew about the Hengduan Mountains, but it was clear Liszt had no intention of explaining.

He simply nodded, "Keep going."

"One of my rats posed as a servant to spy on Andre. To ride the dragon, Andre did extensive research with the help of the Eagle royal family. The key to riding an orichalcum dragon lies in the knight's character—grit, unbreakable resolve, fearlessness toward death, and self-sacrifice. Only then can one move the orichalcum dragon."

With each quality Duke Piero listed that the orichalcum dragon admired, Liszt's expression darkened slightly. Though he had all these traits, none were flawless, making the conventional method of riding the orichalcum dragon nearly hopeless.

Even though he had anticipated this outcome, it still left a bitter taste.

"So, how far has Andre progressed?" He was skeptical—who else could possibly meet such high standards?

Duke Piero gave a sarcastic chuckle, "This Andre, though a descendant of traitors, is indeed an 'excellent' knight. To prepare a type of bird egg favored by the orichalcum dragon, he personally scaled cliffs under attacks from magical beasts and birds, entering caves to retrieve the eggs, leaving his skin shredded."

Similar acts were numerous.

A madman, dead set on "proving himself" to the orichalcum dragon.

……

Once the orichalcum dragon’s location was confirmed, Liszt began preparations for the expedition, leaving the talks in Lee William’s hands.

The Smoky Task demanded that all three great kingdoms acknowledge the Fire Kingdom. Since the envoys from Steel Ridge and High Furnace had yet to arrive, there was no urgency to reach any immediate agreements with the negotiation team.

Duke Piero couldn’t be released yet either, in case he was scheming—what if the orichalcum dragon was just a setup?

"The orichalcum dragon is formidable. I need backup."

The grey cast iron dragon stayed behind at Black Horse Island, serving both to intimidate the negotiation team and Duke Piero and to conceal Liszt’s movements.

He decided to bring along the Lightgreen Gem Dragon Ethan, having him depart from Flame Island and fly toward the Legendary Continent. Ethan wasn’t fast enough and would hold them back if paired with the invisible dragon. Liszt himself would follow shortly after with the Fire Drake Rio, the Invisible Dragon Bard, and Archmage Acheronides.

"The whole trip should take a week—just enough time to bag the orichalcum dragon! Along the way, we might also contact Yevich to check on his investigation in the WindSnow Mountain Duchy."

Once Ethan was airborne, Liszt swiftly wrapped up some paperwork in his territory, loaded up on supplies, made a brief appearance on Black Horse Island, and then quietly departed.

The Flame Archipelago lay about 1,700 kilometers from the Legendary Continent.

However, its geographical position was far more advantageous than that of the Sapphire Archipelago, with other islands serving as supply points and outposts along the direct maritime route.

After flying 500 kilometers, Liszt’s group landed in a vast cluster of islands—the as-yet-unnamed Third Archipelago.

The islands were numerous but fragmented, none bigger than Black Horse Island, with little room for development. Still, they made excellent supply points. In the future, the Fire Kingdom might establish a few port cities here—though if a magic teleportation array connecting directly to the Legendary Continent were built, such supply islands might become unnecessary.

After a quick breather, they flew another 500 kilometers and spotted a large island.

From above, it looked at least as big as Coral Island, making it another suitable location for development as a supply base.

Another 700 kilometers of flight brought them to the coastline of the Legendary Continent.

The area was deserted—no villages for a hundred kilometers. Only after venturing hundreds of kilometers inland would one reach the most remote villages of the WindSnow Mountain Duchy, like the hunter’s village Yevich had previously encountered.

Spreading out a map, Liszt and Acheronides studied it briefly. "We’re at the border between the Kingdom of the Eagle and the Huangshi Plain Kingdom. West is the WindSnow Mountain Duchy, Northwest points toward the Crosscut Mountains. However, we must first locate the Rhine River—the Crosscut Mountains are its source. Stick to the river, and we won’t get lost."

As they spoke, a dragon's roar echoed through the air.

Emerald Dragon Ethan had already followed the telepathic bond with Liszt and arrived to join them. It had reached the legendary continent a day earlier, resting in a nearby forest.

"Acheronides, you ride Bard. I'll ride Ethan. Let's first find the estuary of the Rhine River!"

"Yes."

"Roar!"

"Scree!"

The two humans and three dragons continued their dragon-seeking journey.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away, atop a cliff, a golden dragon suddenly awoke with a start from its slumber. An indescribable sensation had caused a sudden disturbance in its being moments before. Yet, as it woke, the feeling quickly faded.

Puzzled, it glanced down the cliff where a knight was dashing and glowing, practicing mana near a grayish-white tent.

The golden dragon curled its lips into a mocking grin, as if silently mocking: "Foolish little ant. Keep your offerings coming - how pleasant to dine without hunting."

https://

Please remember the original domain of this book: . Mobile reading URL: