Chapter 738: Standing Out from the Crowd

This chapter is an additional update sponsored by "Sharp Little Teeth."

"Wah!"

The moment he stepped into Thorn Castle, a familiar cry echoed in his heart. He then saw Thorn Sprite Jie La flying down the stairwell and diving straight into Liszt's arms.

This hot-tempered little sprite was perhaps the most emotionally expressive among all the sprites.

"Has Jie La been behaving, Lord?" Liszt caught the palm-sized Jie La and asked with a smile as he turned to Steward Carter. Since the creation of the Thorn Auxiliary Potion, Jie La’s value had skyrocketed to match that of the Grand Sprite of Giant Kelp. Combined with Liszt’s personal favoritism, this had elevated Jie La to a special status within the castle.

"Lord, Jie La has been quite well-behaved these days. Aside from constantly berating the other sprites in the insect rooms, there haven’t been any overly aggressive outbursts. However, since it can’t enter the other insect rooms, it seems restless and often runs off to the thorn plantation, haphazardly scattering thorn seedlings," Steward Carter replied earnestly.

Beneath his composed expression, however, his body trembled slightly with excitement. The mere thought that his master was now a great Dragon Knight sent waves of exhilaration through this loyal old steward. When he had first been assigned to this rural town, he could never have imagined becoming the steward of a Dragon Knight.

Nor was he alone in this excitement. Mrs. Mossen, Mrs. Abi, and the other earliest servants had been so thrilled by the news two days prior that they couldn't sleep. Even now, after two days, they still hadn't calmed down.

"That’s good," Liszt said, rubbing Jie La’s head. "As for the randomly scattered thorn seedlings, inspect them thoroughly before removing them to ensure none are magically potent or mutated new varieties."

"The Sprite Wardens have been working with the mages from the Arcane Tower to inspect every single thorn seedling, ensuring no new varieties are overlooked," Carter assured him.

"Good," Liszt nodded.

Under his direction, the mages of the Arcane Tower had already begun shifting their research focus to "Foundational Thaumaturgy," with the relationship between sprites and plants being a key category. Through methodical cultivation, he believed they would eventually uncover the secrets of sprite origins.

"Wah!" Jie La cried out, as if insisting it was helping with farming, not just playing around.

"I understand, little one," Liszt smiled. He always felt Jie La’s emotions were richer and more vivid than those of other sprites. Whether it was due to sentimentality or its more distinct personality, Jie La was simply unique.

"Off to the sprite chambers for now. I’ll join you later," he said, handing Jie La to the footman Thomas to return to the upstairs sprite chambers before entering the council chamber.

Soon after, the territory’s key knights and officials had all gathered in the council chamber.

The servants served tea.

Dispensing with formalities, Liszt began, "As you’ve all seen, I am now a Dragon Knight, and Ake Luoyides is an Archmage. We stand at the pinnacle of this world’s power. For now, my title has been conferred as Marquis of Flame, with the fiefdom of Flame Territory, rightfully ruling Coral Island, Black Horse Island, and Iron Hoof City on Iron Hoof Island."

Everyone watched their lord intently, awaiting his next words.

Liszt paused briefly before continuing, "But this is merely transitional. Before long, I will find new islands on the sea and establish a brand-new nation. And all of you—work diligently, fulfill your duties, and in this new nation, you will all be founders of the realm."

"We serve at Your Highness’s command!" the crowd roared in unison, including Cris, who had yet to swear formal allegiance.

This unprecedented dragon-slaying feat had firmly cemented Liszt’s foundation. No mainland kingdom would likely dare to launch another such campaign against him.

Thus, the founding of a new nation was now inevitable.

The honor of personally participating in the creation of a new nation was something no one could refuse.

Cris couldn’t pass up the chance to become royal archmage. Yevich couldn’t resist the possibility of joining the nobility of the new realm… Gortai and Marcus, who had both served as Liszt’s tutors, were even less able to refuse a future of glory.

Pleased with his subordinates’ fervent response, Liszt calmly stated, "The future of glory shall ever be ours. The knights' glory shall ever be mine, and that glory shall shine upon each of you here… From now on, we must all strive for the establishment of our new nation. However, the immediate priority remains maintaining the stability of our territory while assuming control of Flame Territory."

Though Coral Island had nominally been granted to Liszt, it was still within the five-year tithe period and thus wouldn’t be transferred immediately.

The city of Ironhoof on Ironhoof Island can be taken over immediately.

This is a major city with over 150,000 inhabitants, second only to Blue Dragon City—under the jurisdiction of the royal court—in the Sapphire Duchy. However, the current population has dwindled to about 100,000. With the fall of the Bull family, the noble and freeman classes have largely disappeared, leaving only the serfs still bound to the land.

The loss of numerous skilled artisans will inevitably lead to Ironhoof’s decline, especially now that the spirits have been reclaimed by the Sapphire family, significantly reducing agricultural output in the surrounding lands.

Nevertheless, thanks to its central location on Ironhoof Island, the city still holds great trade potential.

Of course.

Even though Ironhoof is the second-largest city in the Sapphire Duchy, Liszt doesn’t like it. The city's sanitation is terrible, and improving it would be extremely difficult. He’s not about to fix that—within a few years at most, this city will have to be returned to the Sapphire Duchy.

He plans to use Ironhoof as a trade hub for his territory and renovate the Bull Fortress, rivaled only by the Blue Sky Pillar Palace in grandeur.

The massive and magnificent Bull Fortress just meets his standards.

“Aside from taking control of the territory, we must carefully screen the knights seeking to join us. Only those with both virtue and talent will earn a place in Flame Territory. Knights joining the knight order will be handled by Marcus, those applying for official positions by Gort, and the final screening will be overseen by Parris and Charles.”

The four promptly stood and acknowledged their understanding.

“Next are the visiting mages. In the foreseeable future, many mages will arrive in Flame Territory. I intend to establish a Magic Guild to register and oversee them, with Ake Loyde as president and Cris as vice president. We’ll keep tabs on every mage.”

Cris nodded solemnly, “Rest assured, Your Highness!”

“Lastly, there’s the maritime expedition to search for new islands. Yevich, I’ll purchase several royal fast ships directly from the Sapphire family. You and Captain Kost will work together to train more sailors as quickly as possible. After the New Year, you’ll set out to explore south of the Sapphire Sea in search of possible island chains.”

Yevich responded immediately, “Yes, Your Highness!”

His voice was firm and resolute, filled with boundless energy—gone was the broken man who’d once been a washed-up sword saint.

Becoming a dragon knight’s follower was the greatest comeback of his life.

“Very well, the meeting ends here. Gort and Blair, stay behind. The rest may leave. My victory celebration banquet will take place tonight—please return to your duties this afternoon.”