Chapter 40 Why does wild corn look like this?

Just as Liszt had finished settling the Cordyceps in Wheat Village, Gill, the village manager, approached him with a matter. "My lord, I'm not sure if I should bring this up."

"Speak your mind," Liszt said, his eyes lighting up. He thought that Gill might have information about the invisible dragon.

But Gill replied, "My lord, I found three very strange plants on the barren land of Wheat Village. They're exceptionally tall, around two to three meters high, and lush green. Our chickens love to eat their leaves."

"It's maize!"

Liszt immediately understood that the clue the village manager had provided was not about the invisible dragon but rather three wild maize plants. He promptly instructed the manager to lead him there — maize, the anticipated maize.

However, upon arriving at the wild maize, Liszt was filled with confusion.

"Gill, how long have you known about these three plants?"

"Already three months."

"And they've remained like this the whole time?"

"Yes, my lord."

Liszt habitually caressed the Red Blood Sword hanging at his waist.

He had been inseparable from the sword, and the magic of the ruby constantly stimulated and nourished his fire attribute Aura, allowing it to grow stronger. In essence, carrying the sword meant he was constantly in training. If he consumed more magical potions in the future, he might even become a Sky Knight.

He examined the three wild corn plants with great interest.

Before him, the corn wasn't a single straight stalk with a few leaves, a cluster of flowers at the top, and a couple of cobbs in the middle. Instead, they were disorderly with several stems per plant, each topped with a cluster of flowers. Where the cobs should have grown, there were thin toothpicks.

Each segment of the toothpicks was a grass seed.

"Don't tell me that wild corn looks like this. This isn't corn; it's wheat!" Liszt was deeply saddened in his heart. He knew very well that the three wild corn plants were indeed these three blades of grass before him.

But he refused to accept it.

Where were the large and plump corn cobs they were promised?

"These are just grasses for livestock to eat... Hmm, I remember now, these three wild corn plants should actually be called Mexican Corn Grass?"

Having planted crops in his hometown, Liszt recalled that someone in the village had cultivated a type of pig grass, which was a grass specifically for pigs to eat. It was called Mexican Corn Grass and was said to be an extremely productive forage crop, loved by pigs, cows, and sheep.

"It should be, indeed. If it's genuine corn, there's no need to prefix it with 'wild.' As far as I know, corn doesn't have any wild variants; it's a crop that has been cultivated by humans for millions of years." Understanding this, he could only sigh inwardly and console himself, "At least I've obtained a high-yielding variety of grass. It's not a loss."

With his spirits lifted, Liszt donned the composed smile of a noble once more. "Gill, based on my judgment, this grass is called Corn Grass. It's an extremely productive forage that livestock adores. Chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cows, and sheep all enjoy it. From now on, you must protect it carefully. I'll need its seeds."

"Yes, Lord Liszt! Gill will guard the Corn Grass and keep all slaves and livestock away from it!"

"That's excellent. I'll inform Teacher Gort. He will make further arrangements, and you just need to cooperate accordingly."

"Yes, my lord."

Taking another glance at the Mexican corn grass, Liszt took a deep breath and raised his riding crop. "Back we go!"

The settlement for the wheat weevils went smoothly. Now, the peanut weevils, alfalfa weevils, tulip weevils, and wheat weevils had all found their places.

As for the thorn weevils, it was still uncertain where they would be placed. The millet fields for the millet weevils were still in the planning stages.

Regardless, the elves would receive the best care possible.

...

On the way back, Liszt bumped into Marcus, who was on his way to the castle to meet him.

"Professor Marcus, what brings you here?"

"My lord,

Sir Gort mentioned that you inquired about the Invisible Dragon?" "Oh, you know about it?"

"I've heard of it," Marcus replied earnestly. "I read about it in a half-destroyed knightly novel when I was very young. I don't recall the title."

"I see. How was the Invisible Dragon described in the book?" Liszt knew that with the completion of the wheat worm mission, the reward would come.

Marcus continued, "According to the novel, besides Gem Dragons, Metal Dragons, and Elemental Dragons, there exists another type called Holy Dragons. The Invisible Dragon is a subtype of the Holy Dragons. It's transparent, so no one can see its appearance. Wherever it goes, it brings endless calamity."

"Calamity? Then why is it called the Holy Dragon?"

"Because it can produce a very unique gemstone."

"A unique gemstone, then it should be classified as belonging to the Gem Dragon. Right, what is a special gemstone, and does it possess any distinct power?"

"This gemstone is connected to a legendary piece of equipment, Your Excellency. Have you heard of a Spatial Ring? It's a tiny ring that can hold an incredibly vast amount of items."

Does this world also have Spatial Rings?

Liszt searched through his predecessor's memories but found no mention of them. He replied, "No, so Spatial Rings actually exist? Or could it be that the gems produced by the Invisible Dragon can be used to create one?"

"I'm not sure if Spatial Rings truly exist. If they do, they would be priceless treasures only owned by true nobility," Marcus said. "In the knight novel I read, it mentioned that wherever the Invisible Dragon went, apart from endless calamity, it would leave behind its gemstones. Whoever finds them would possess a Spatial Ring."

"And then?"

"Then that's it."

"Didn't the book provide more information about the Invisible Dragon?"

"No, and I believe it's just a fabricated story. You know, many of those novels that inspire us knights with tales of glory are often written by novelists with their eyes wide open," Marcus explained. He had come specifically to share this information with Liszt, but clearly, he himself didn't believe in the existence of the Invisible Dragon.

Liszt couldn't confirm or deny this, so he continued, "So, what about the other Holy Dragons?"

"I have no idea. Half of the book was missing, and I only read a small portion which solely described the Intangible Dragon, a sacred one."

When Marcus left, Liszt was still perplexed.

What did the quest reward – information on the Intangible Dragon – imply? Was it simply sharing knowledge about the creature? Or was it a sign that there was an Intangible Dragon nearby to be captured? Or perhaps it meant that the Intangible Dragon was going to attack Flower Town, calling for preparation? Of course, it could also indicate that the dragon was coming to deliver equipment, like a Spatial Ring?

As he pondered, the mist before him reappeared.

"Quest completed. Reward: Information on the Intangible Dragon."

After a distortion, a new quest was issued: "Quest: The sudden appearance of wild corn in Wheat Village has caught your attention. The Lord needs to consider why wild corn would grow in Wheat Village. Perhaps there are more nearby. Find the origin of the wild corn. Reward: New information on the Intangible Dragon."

Swiftly, Liszt's focus shifted to the new quest reward.

"More information on the Intangible Dragon? What on earth is going on? How much information about this dragon do they want to give me?"