Chapter 784: Hands-off Manager

This chapter is an additional update sponsored by "100,000-Year-Old Salted Fish" (a patron's username).

Flame Territory, Black Horse Island, Thorn Castle, fifth floor, Liszt's private training room.

Parris was swinging her greatsword, practicing the mana art *Flash Slash*, a light-attribute mana technique. Liszt had spent a considerable sum to acquire it, as light-aligned knights were rare, making such techniques scarce and naturally valuable.

Liszt sat in a spacious chair, activating *Magic Eye* to carefully observe the flow of mana and magic power within Parris's body.

A Light Swordsman differed from ordinary light-attribute knights, not only capable of refining light-attribute mana internally but also naturally absorbing ambient light-attribute magic power from the air.

Cultivating both magic and mana simultaneously, the pathways for magic power were relatively complex.

Given Parris's average intellect, without guidance, it would be difficult for her to break through the limits of an Earth Knight.

In other words, without Liszt's help in resolving her cultivation path, she would remain at the level of an elite light-attribute Earth Knight and an ordinary light-attribute mage for life. However, her luck lay in following a Dragon Knight lord, who frequently trained and guided her on how to cultivate.

"Parris has good physical talent, but her comprehension is lacking. Right now, her mana cultivation has hit a bottleneck, and under normal circumstances, she should be breaking through to Sky Knight," Liszt observed while discussing with Acheronides. "But a normal breakthrough is difficult for her, and the root issue lies in her body."

Parris was a case of both benefiting and suffering from her light-aligned constitution.

Her light-attribute affinity allowed her to cultivate mana at an exceptionally fast pace, and with her solid foundation, she quickly reached the bottleneck of intermediate mana. However, this same affinity caused her body to naturally attract ambient light-attribute magic power, disrupting her mana’s surge and interfering with the breakthrough.

Acheronides also cast the advanced spell *Magic Eye*, carefully observing the flow of Parris's mana and the interference from light-attribute magic power.

"Brother, Parris's breakthrough is affected by the variable of light-attribute magic power. Solving this variable should allow her to break through quickly."

"How do we solve it?"

"I’ve thought of three solutions now. The first is to rely on a special environment to block ambient light-attribute magic power; the second is to sever the connection between mana and magic power, establishing a new mana circulation pathway to reduce their interaction; the third is a *Magic Array*."

"Magic Array?"

"Yes, using a *Magic Array* to allow Parris to simultaneously accelerate her light-attribute magic power, enabling her to break through the bottleneck alongside her mana... For now, we can adapt the high-tier light spell *Invisibility* to intersect with her *Flash Slash*, achieving a synchronized breakthrough."

The spell *Invisibility* was something Parris had almost instinctively used when she was still a *black dragon spirit*, familiar to the point of second nature.

Back then, however, it was an ability granted by the Light Dragon—shadow-weaving.

Now that the Light Dragon's power had been purged, shadow-weaving could no longer be used, but she still understood its principles.

"Then, Parris's breakthrough will be left to you, Acheronides. Pay attention to the circulation methods while you're at it," Liszt naturally delegated the task, acting as the hands-off overseer. "I’ll see if I can train a group of Flame Swordsmen. After all, without a volcano, Leo has nothing better to do."

"Mm." Acheronides nodded. She was also very interested in this new cultivation system of Light Swordsmen.

Innovating a new cultivation system was quite fulfilling.

No one is born a cultivator, nor did mages and knights appear out of nowhere. They were systems developed by predecessors through gradual exploration of the world's laws of physics and magic. What Liszt and Acheronides were doing now was no different.

Perhaps they would fail, perhaps they would succeed—no one could say for sure.

...

The territory had a thousand tasks to manage, but as more and more talented individuals came to swear fealty, things gradually fell into place. Mages, of course, were no exception. While some might leave due to disliking the atmosphere, far more stayed, as the experimental environment of the Magic Guild was far superior to solitary research.

Anyone truly pursuing knowledge would naturally stay and gradually integrate into the Magic Guild.

Many mages even believed that this was how mages of the Moon Empire should have conducted their research—solitary study never advanced magic.

As for knights…

A large number of disheartened knights from the Sapphire Duchy gradually gathered toward the Flamelands, especially around Ironhoof City. Many of them were implicated and stripped of their noble titles due to the rebellion of Marquis Ox-Tail. The rise of Liszt rekindled their hope for The Glory of Knighthood!

Following Liszt's standards, Jia Xiya, Marcus, and others continuously screened the knights.

Those with good conduct and outstanding talent were assigned to train and work on Black Horse Island, while the more mixed-quality knights remained in Ironhoof City.

After all, Liszt had no grand plans for developing Ironhoof City—even the farmland was leased to Marquis Ox-Tail for cultivation. The city barely maintained its operations, serving merely as a freight transit hub. Trade in sea salt, glass, and paper all flowed through Ironhoof City.

The local officials' task was to select the most outstanding Knights and send them to Thorn Fort.

There, Liszt would formally swear them in.

So far, he had accepted the allegiance of over a hundred Knights.

The total number of Earth Knights in the territory had surpassed six hundred, forming four Knight Companies: the Ironhoof City Knight Company, the Black Horse Island Knight Company, the Flower Knight Company, and the Giant Kelp Knight Company.

The leader of the Ironhoof City Knight Company was Jia Xiya, a Sky Knight; the Black Horse Island Knight Company was led by Fox, also a Sky Knight; the Flower Knight Company was personally headed by Liszt, composed entirely of elite Earth Knights; and the Giant Kelp Knight Company, led by Marcus, was stationed to guard the territory.

Meanwhile, Parris's patrol unit gradually transitioned from apprentice Knights to Earth Knights.

Charles's garrison force also recruited many aging, infirm, or wounded Earth Knights.

Of course, these were all provisional Knight Companies, hastily assembled. Only after the founding of the new kingdom would they be formalized and renamed.

...

Before long, February had ended.

Winter passed, and spring arrived, bringing with it the hectic spring planting season in the territory. It was then that Grand Duke Anthony Sapphire of the Sapphire Duchy visited Black Horse Island once again.

Liszt received the Grand Duke and his entourage at Thorn Fort.

"Your Highness, I bring a proposal from my father. He hopes to join forces with you in launching a major naval campaign to crush the fleet of the Kingdom of the Eagle and restore maritime control to the people of Sapphire," Anthony stated his purpose before revealing more secrets in the study.

"According to intelligence from the Sapphire family's spies, after Ka Erluo Violet of the Kingdom of the Eagle fell at Your Highness's hands, the Lightgreen Gem Dragon did not return to the Kingdom of the Eagle. It likely now roams the wilds as part of the wild dragon hierarchy. With the Kingdom of Steel Ridge and the Blastfurnace Kingdom applying constant pressure on the borders, the Kingdom of the Eagle has no resources left to focus on the sea."

This news was hardly surprising.

After all, the Lightgreen Gem Dragon was already in Liszt's possession: "The Lightgreen Gem Dragon not returning is indeed intriguing... As for annihilating the Kingdom of the Eagle's fleet, I agree in principle. I wonder how the Duke plans to cooperate and how the benefits will be divided?"

The Kingdom of the Eagle's ships had been constantly prowling the seas for the Lightgreen Gem Dragon, much to Liszt's annoyance. Since the Sapphire Duchy had a plan, he was eager to cooperate.

Completely eliminating the Kingdom of the Eagle's maritime forces would bring immense benefits to the nation he was about to establish.