Chapter 199: Perhaps a Dragon’s Bone

"What do you think those bones are?"

Liszt asked curiously. An average person's height was around one meter and seventy centimeters, which meant that each of the five bones had a diameter greater than that.

One could imagine how long they must be and how large the skeleton they formed would be.

Marcus turned his head to look at the door, seemingly ensuring no one was eavesdropping behind it before cautiously responding, "I think they might be dragon bones!"

"Dragon bones!"

Liszt was suddenly startled but quickly suppressed his surprise and excitement, asking his doubts, "If they are dragon bones... were any mineral deposits found in that valley?"

"Well... it doesn't seem like any mineral deposits were discovered. We dug up the bones, going several meters deep until we hit rock, and we didn't find any metallic ores or crystals and gems."

"Is that so? Dragons can influence their surroundings. If these were the remains of metal dragons or gem dragons, Black Horse Island would likely have become a mine. Since it hasn't turned into a mine, it suggests that these bones are probably not from metal or gem dragons."

Marcus speculated, "Could they be the remains of elemental dragons?"

"It's unlikely for elemental dragons either. I discussed this with Elkson; he read a book written by a mage that mentioned the magic of elemental dragons lingers for a long time and also influences their surroundings. The Wind Roar Valley in the Radiant Empire is an example, formed after a wind dragon battle, and it still experiences strong winds today."

After such discussions,

half the possibilities of the bones being from dragons were ruled out.

"Could they be left by some super-dragon species?" Marcus proposed another possibility. "I've only heard of high-level dragon species, but even if they were massive, it's impossible for a bone to have a diameter of one meter and seventy centimeters... So I'm guessing they might be from a super-dragon species, though they're legendary creatures."

The classification of magical beasts includes low, medium, high, and super levels.

In fact, the distinction between high-level and super-level magical beasts is quite vague. There aren't many observed individuals, and there's no standard—whether based on combat power or size—to differentiate between high and super levels. Generally, humans prefer not to provoke powerful magical beasts.

Moreover, according to rumors,

there isn't a single super-level magical beast in the Sapphire Duchy.

The continent is vast, and super-level magical beasts appear more frequently in knightly novels. The Earl invades the Eagle Kingdom every year and has extensive knowledge, yet he has never heard of any super-level magical beasts in the Eagle Kingdom.

Let alone super-dragon species.

At the level of super-level magical beasts, their bloodlines are already incredibly powerful, and the influence of dragons is likely only theoretical.

After much discussion, they couldn't come to a conclusion about what kind of creature left those five enormous bones.

"Tomorrow, I'll personally go to Black Horse Island to see what's special about these five bones!"

...

Saying it, he did it.

After instructing the town officials to oversee the Barley Village serfs planting corn grass,

Liszt directly boarded a ship with Hiddleston and set off for Black Horse Island with Marcus. After half a day of sailing, they arrived at their destination.

A simple dock had been built, floating on the sea with wooden planks. It swayed slightly when walked upon. As for Hiddleston, it had to ride in a wooden boat because its weight was too much for the floating dock to bear.

Upon landing, they saw a row of new wooden houses less than a hundred meters from the dock.

Serfs were clearing debris and weeds around them.

It was a rudimentary outpost.

But it represented Liszt's foothold on Black Horse Island.

Without delay, they headed straight for the valley where the five large bones were found, encountering the black-blooded horse herd along the way. The Horse King was somewhat unfamiliar with Liszt, but once he rode it, they quickly became acquainted. Carrying Liszt, it constantly charged and turned back.

Along the way, Marcus reported on his recent exploration of Black Horse Island.

"There are no magical beasts on the island, at least none have been discovered so far. Only small carnivores and herbivores exist, with the largest animal being the black-blooded horses. The vegetation is also very monotonous, with few trees, mostly unknown shrubs with few branches."

He pointed to a tree beside the road.

This tree was one of the shrubs he mentioned, with a straight trunk and sparse branches high up. It bore no flowers or fruits, wasn't tall, and its leaves were slightly yellow, suggesting it was a deciduous tree.

Ordinary.

Marcus continued, "There are many weeds on the island. Apart from the pasture grass, the rest are common weeds that the black-blooded horses don't eat. Clearing them is the best option."

Finally, he added, "My lord, I am drawing a map of Black Horse Island, but it's not yet complete."

Liszt suddenly asked, "Have you chosen a location for building the castle?"

"Not yet. There aren't many defensive terrains on the island. The hills are not high, and the terrain is not steep. We can't build a castle as perilous as Tulip Castle, and it may not even compare to Beer Castle. I believe that if we really want to build a castle, it should be constructed on flat ground with thick walls and a moat."

Not every castle can be built on a cliff; most castles are constructed on flat ground.

Liszt simply showed concern.

Soon, under the setting sun, they arrived at the valley where the five bones were found, located between Ice Grass Hill and Needle Grass Hill.

Due to the deep weeds and the bones being buried deeply, they were hard to discover.

"I discovered this wreckage and the five bones while riding Black Shatter," Marcus patted the horse beneath him and approached the center of the valley, where the weeds had been cleared away.

Behind him was a freshly dug pit, with a grayish-white, broken giant bone slanted into the ground.

Around it were four other partially exposed giant bones and scattered bone fragments.

It seemed as if some creature had died here, and over time, most of its bones had decayed, leaving only these five standing—though they were likely decaying as well, as the mission reward clearly stated they were five decaying bones.

Dismounting.

Approaching the large pit and stepping on the rocks at the bottom, Liszt walked step by step toward the bones.

The closer he got to the bones, the more insignificant he felt, as if standing in front of a massive stone pillar. He reached out to touch the surface of the bone, which was as hard as rock, and tapped it, hearing a sound similar to that of stone.

Using the Magic Eye, he observed the five bones and the fragments scattered all around.

He found no traces of magic.

"Has this bone become fossilized?"

But he quickly shook his head in denial; fossils were usually integrated with stone, whereas this bone was clearly partially exposed.

"Teacher Marcus, have you examined the bone fragments on the ground?"

"Hard, suitable for making fine bone artifacts." Marcus's brief response indicated the quality of the bones, suggesting they were at least from a low-level magical beast.

Tap, tap, tap!

Liszt tapped the bone again. Besides being awestruck, he was left puzzled, unsure of the purpose of the five bones rewarded by the smoke mission.

"Could it be that they know my territory lacks iron, and they want me to crush these and take them back to craft fine bone artifacts?"