Chapter 363: Covered with Dried Tulips

Under the stars, chasing the morning dew, the eastern sky gradually changed from the whiteness of dawn to a red hue. By the time the sun rose above the eastern horizon, the group had already arrived at the port of Coral City.

Many knights and their squires had already gathered at the port.

"Leiden, leave the task of assembling the Black Knights to me," said Liszt, promptly assigning the task to Leiden upon seeing him.

He then went to negotiate with Levis about allocating the ships for his use.

The Tulip family owned about fifty ships. Half of them were double-masted cargo ships, a third of the remaining half were double-masted ordinary ships, and the last third were double-masted fast ships. There were only two three-masted large ships, one being the Tulip, a three-masted ordinary ship, and the other being the Coral, a three-masted cargo ship.

The three-masted large ships were certainly not available for Liszt.

He was allocated one double-masted fast ship, two double-masted ordinary ships, and one double-masted cargo ship.

The cargo ships were for transporting food and water, the ordinary ships were for the squire knights and their horses, and the fast ships were for the nobles. Of course, Liszt had special privileges, and his knight squad and squire knights also rode on the fast ships to serve him, even including the Black Dragon Horse.

Parris lived next door, with Hiddleston guarding the entrance.

His personal security was at its highest level.

After Liszt and Levis finalized which four ships belonged to the Black Knights, the Earl had already arrived at the port, delivered a speech, and boarded the three-masted large ship, the Tulip.

One by one, the ships set sail from the port.

As the sun rose in the east, the knights of Coral Island set sail for Iron Horse Island.

……

The voyage was boring.

However, this trip was a bit busier for Liszt as he had to reorganize the knights, constantly assembling the 142 knights of the Black Knights on the ship. While a full charge training session wasn't possible, they could at least confirm various battle signals and slogans with each other, establishing simple trust.

It was also a time to establish authority. Besides Liszt, who was a baron, there were two other veteran barons on the ship, Kobold and Nash.

After a simple sword fight on the deck, the two had to admit that even without relying on Hiddleston, the mid-level magical beast, they were no match for Liszt.

Even a two-on-one fight couldn't defeat Liszt.

"Captain, are you sure you haven't become an elite Earth Knight?" asked Kobold, feeling frustrated after losing in a two-on-one fight.

Liszt smiled faintly, neither denying nor confirming, "A knight's combat ability isn't entirely about the level of mana. You just need to know that my strength is sufficient to bear the responsibilities of a captain. Follow me into battle, and the glory on the battlefield will undoubtedly belong to our knightly lances!"

He had already begun practicing "Decay of Breath."

However, he hadn't mastered it yet, so the effect hadn't manifested. His mana was still continuously emitting outward.

Before acquiring this mana technique, he considered this waste to be normal, but now, seeing the mana radiate outward, it felt like a waste of his strength and his gold coins.

Kobold was thoroughly convinced, "Of course, I wouldn't dare to doubt you now."

Nash also replied, "Captain, your strength is formidable. My confidence in achieving glory has grown stronger, and I will definitely follow your lead closely."

Authority in both status and strength was overwhelming.

No one in the Black Knights dared to defy Liszt, so within the short four-day voyage, he had successfully established his authority over the entire knight squad.

There were no more doubts heard.

There were no storms or sea monsters encountered. The expedition fleet from Coral Island arrived at the port of Horn City, now flying the flag of the Sapphire Dragon, on the night of the fourth day.

The advance squad of knights landed at the port.

After a simple reconnaissance, it was confirmed that the city had indeed been occupied by the Duke’s knights.

Flag signals were sent from the Tulip, and all the ships began to dock one after another. Five knight orders quickly assembled at the port.

Dressed in full steel armor, with a steel round shield in his left hand, a steel knight lance in his right, and the Red Blood Sword hanging from his waist, Lister appeared formidable. The inner lining of his armor was a snakeskin cuirass made from the six-headed sea serpent, offering defense capabilities at their peak. Mounted on his Black Dragon horse, man and horse became one, exuding an imposing aura.

He rode his horse around the assembled Black Knights, his expression solemn under the raised visor. His sapphire-colored pupils gleamed brilliantly under the torchlight.

After confirming that all the knights had found their positions in the formation, he slammed the visor down on his helmet and roared, "Everyone, close your visors and follow me!"

"Click!"

"Click!"

"Click!"

The crisp sound of metal clasps echoed as more than 140 knights swiftly closed their visors, their entire bodies enveloped in armor.

Following Lister, they marched from the port into Horn City.

Horn City, a major city located on Iron Horse Island, was one of the most famous cities in the entire Sapphire Duchy. Its reputation stemmed from the Horn Academy on the city’s outskirts. The academy had long provided attendants to the court, and many noble families sent their young ladies here to learn needlework.

Because of this, a large number of single nobles lingered in Horn City, hoping to court a lady from the academy.

However, the once bustling Horn City now had very few unrelated people on the streets, which were instead filled with fully armed knights.

After meeting with the Count, the knights stationed in Horn City arranged for the Coral Island knight order to be housed in a commoner district of the city.

"Lord Lister, a knight has brought a message that after setting up camp, you should join the other order leaders at Horn Castle for a welcoming banquet," a knight reported.

"I understand."

Lister called for Captain Leiden immediately. "Arrange accommodations for every knight."

Leiden didn’t mind this laid-back attitude. In fact, he enjoyed this temporary authority, barking orders to arrange the knights' accommodations.

Lister instructed his squire knight, "My room must be thoroughly cleaned. Bring water to wash the floors and furniture, and spread plenty of dried tulip petals to dispel this nauseating stench!" Used to the fragrant air of Flower Town, he found it hard to bear the stench of mixed excrement in this foul-smelling city.

Next to him, Parris coughed.

Lister casually added, "Clean Parris's room as well, and sprinkle some dried flowers."

Parris gave a slight bow, a smile uncontainable on her face. "Thank you, Lord Baron."

"Parris will accompany me to the banquet to ensure my safety. Xavier will be responsible for leading Hiddleston, and Philip will take care of the horses."

Lister made a simple arrangement.

Leaving the Black Knights' encampment, he headed towards the Yellow Knights' encampment. At that moment, Levis had just arranged his knights and was preparing to leave with several squires. They waited briefly for Barons Eunas and Trick, and the four knight leaders rode together towards Horn Castle.

To attend the welcoming banquet.