Chapter 555: My Brother Has a Dragon

By the seaside.

A crystal lamp lit up the night beach.

Liszt sat on a rock, thinking about how to talk to Acheronides: "Acheronides, have you ever seen a dragon?"

"A dragon? Acheronides would love to see a dragon. I've heard that dragons are the most beautiful creatures in the world, but Acheronides has never seen a real dragon." Even as a mermaid, she had an endless fascination with dragons.

"Dragons are indeed beautiful."

Liszt finally decided to tell Acheronides about the Fire Dragon: "Actually, brother has a dragon, a young Fire Dragon named Leo. But this little Fire Dragon is very disobedient, even a bit ungrateful." Watching Acheronides's jaw drop in surprise, he didn't forget to add a few more words about the little Fire Dragon's misbehavior.

"Ah! Brother really has a Fire Dragon?"

"Yes, it's a young Fire Dragon I revived from the dragon bones on Black Horse Island. This is my greatest secret. The influence of a dragon is too great, so I haven't mentioned it to anyone. Therefore, Acheronides, you are the first to know this secret."

Acheronides was thrilled and amazed, nodding solemnly: "Of course, Acheronides will definitely protect the secret of the Fire Dragon for brother!"

Liszt gently touched her azure hair and smiled: "Actually, Acheronides, you are my most treasured secret. Who would have thought that I would have a mermaid sister?"

"Hehe." Acheronides narrowed her eyes, cozy as a kitten.

Liszt was not lying. To him, Acheronides was far more important than Leo. The person he most recognized as family was Acheronides, not the Tulip family. Perhaps his bloodline was indeed inseparable from the Tulip family, but his soul was incompatible with the Tulip family and with this world.

Only the simple, blank-slate mermaid Acheronides was his greatest comfort.

"I came to Dodo Island to find a volcano, to give Leo a good place to grow. But Leo seems to have forgotten me after diving into the volcano."

"Ah, what will brother do? You can't lose Leo."

"Don't worry. Since its rebirth, Leo's flesh and blood need food. There are no animals on Dodo Island to satisfy its hunger. Sooner or later, it will fly out of the volcano hungry and apologize to me."

As if imagining the little Fire Dragon apologizing to Liszt, Acheronides laughed: "Hehe, hearing brother say that, Leo sounds quite cute."

"No, it's a spoiled, unruly little evil dragon."

"Maybe Leo is still too young and doesn't understand. Brother, you just need to be patient with it. I believe one day Leo will recognize brother and become brother's most important partner. Like those legendary dragon knights, standing at the pinnacle of power in this world."

"I think so too, so I need to teach Leo well." Liszt revealed his plan, "I need to keep expanding my territory to support this Fire Dragon, so I won't be staying on Dodo Island often. I might come over every few days to train with Leo. When I'm not here, you'll need to take care of it."

"Mmm!"

"And if I join the expedition, I'll be gone for months. The little Fire Dragon will also need you to take care of it, so it doesn't starve to death." Leo is young, and following him into battle would only be a burden, offering no help and posing a risk of exposure.

"Acheronides can catch fish to feed it."

"Mmm, once I find it at the volcano, I'll bring it over for you to meet. But Leo can be a bit temperamental, so be careful not to get hurt by it."

"Brother, don't worry, Acheronides will protect herself." Acheronides showed an expectant expression, her eyes almost sparkling with little stars. Even as a mermaid, she couldn't resist dragons. In this world, dragons are the embodiment of all that is beautiful, even if there are evil dragons.

The little Fire Dragon Leo belongs to the sequence of evil dragons.

Humans can slaughter evil dragons without hesitation, one after another, to earn the title of dragon-slaying hero, or they can bestow countless beautiful names upon any dragon.

After telling Acheronides about Leo.

Liszt suddenly felt much more relaxed. He had been hiding too many secrets with no outlet. Secrets like the smoke dragon and the invisible dragon were easier to handle, not burdensome, and could be kept for a long time. But the secret of the little Fire Dragon Leo couldn't be kept forever; he needed someone to share the burden.

Originally, he had been inclined to tell the count about the little Fire Dragon, to have the count help him raise the dragon.

With the discovery of the Giant Kelp forest, the territory could potentially support the Fire Drake on its own. So the idea of seeking the family's help to raise the dragon was abandoned, reducing the risk of exposure as much as possible.

Now, revealing it to Acheronides is the most suitable choice.

She can look after the Fire Drake when Liszt is unavailable. A Fire Drake born just a few months ago can't be expected to fend for itself. Liszt isn't sure how other young dragons are raised and develop, perhaps they are naturally strong enough to face crises.

If it ventures deep into the vast forest, it can grow safely.

But Leo is different—it's a Fire Dragon, born on a sea island!

It can't turn invisible like an Invisible Dragon, can't hunt without revealing itself, and cannot swim in the sea to catch fish. Hunger could expose it to humans at any moment, then it would be captured by powerful knights, ending up either forcibly ridden or transformed into a Lord of Dragon Domain.

Meeting Liszt was a stroke of luck, as he helped it recover, scrimping and saving to feed it, not riding or forcing it, and going to great lengths to find a volcano.

Thus.

After talking about dragons late into the night, they finally went to sleep.

...

The next day, before dawn, Liszt had already gotten up, took out toiletries from his gem space and cleaned himself thoroughly, and then had a hearty breakfast.

Then he hurried up the mountain.

The path was familiar, so he flew straight there, arriving at the crater in moments. The pond was still boiling, the magma still churning, and the smell of sulfur still strong and pungent.

"Leo!"

"Leo!"

"Leo!"

Only the echo from the crater responded; there was no sign of Leo. Even with the Magic Eye, there was no trace of him. Although mentally prepared, after a night passed, there was still no response, which instantly soured his mood. It took a while to adjust, then he went down the mountain to explore the Human Skull Tree forest.

The island isn't very large, and the Human Skull Tree forest is distributed in a ring along the shore of the island, easily scannable with the Magic Eye.

So by the afternoon, he had explored the entire Dodo Island and also found the spirit bug from the Human Skull Tree rewarded by the smoke mission.

On a significantly taller Human Skull Tree, this Human Skull Tree spirit bug was lounging in the sun.

Suddenly, many delicious jade powders fell from the sky, it ate and ate, and then bit onto a finger, instantly forming a contract to become Liszt's thirty-ninth spirit bug.

"Mission completed, rewarded with a Human Skull Tree spirit bug."

The Human Skull Tree forest has no growth potential on Dodo Island, which Liszt has no plans to develop, as it is just a training ground for himself and Leo.

So this spirit bug grass is to be taken back to Black Horse Island for planting.

He quickly focused on the new smoke mission.

"Mission: The astronomical knowledge you brought has greatly inspired Acheronides, helping her refine her understanding of magic power. Perhaps more knowledge can provide her with better references to understand the essence of magic power operation. Reward: Acheronides's new magic."