The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

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The value of Ach's service sometimes felt so immense to Liszt that what he could give to Ach, and what he got from Ach, were simply incomparable—it was a situation of immense profit.

Nowadays.

The fallen Sky Ship had to be salvaged by entrusting Ach with the task, and any good finds were to be sent directly to the Sea View Villa in Fresh Flower Town.

Then he could return to Fresh Flower Town with peace of mind, ready to attend the annual festival dinner at Tulip Castle. Although he had been granted his own fiefdom, the family ties were still maintained, hence during the festival, all Tulip Family bloodlines had to return to Tulip Castle to attend the dinner.

Unless there were special arrangements, like last year when he spent the festival at Long Taro Castle.

This year, at the Tulip Castle's festival banquet, there would be one more person, no, two more people—Loria Gold Wheat Ear was successfully pregnant, and Liszt was about to have a younger family member born. He was looking forward to the birth of this little baby, perhaps witnessing a new life would help him integrate more into the Tulip Family.

On the 29th, he presided over the year-end summary in the port town.

On the 30th, he presided over another year-end summary in Fresh Flower Town.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

On the morning of January 1, Sapphire Year 153, Liszt set out for Tulip Castle, riding the still evolving Loki, accompanied by his Blizzard Beast Squad. He also took along the Corn Minor Elf Mickey because Earl and Lady Penelope wanted to see this little elf.

The birth of every Minor Elf was a huge honor for the Tulip Family.

Loki's speed was extremely fast; his retainers on horseback couldn't keep up, so he let them lead the Blizzard Beasts and walk slowly on the ground. He himself rode Loki, gliding through the low sky. Including rest time, it took merely an hour to reach Tulip Castle.

The sight of Liszt riding a big bird surprised Butler Xi Er Wa, who was directing servants to clear the snow from the streets, "Good morning, Young Master Liszt. Xi Er Wa sends his greetings. I did not expect you to arrive at Tulip Castle so early. You must have started the day very early."

"No, my mount is just fast."

"Ah?" Xi Er Wa did not understand.

Liszt did not clarify, as he was not fond of the acting butler Xi Er Wa. He remembered that the old butler Louis was very kind to the four children of the Earl, but Xi Er Wa favored Levis.

"Have someone feed Loki for me. Remember, Loki likes to eat barley grains, preferably barley, and not too much at a time, three pounds will do. But you need to feed it again every two hours; it is currently growing. Also give it some fruit to eat, the juicier, the better."

"Certainly, Young Master Liszt," Xi Er Wa replied respectfully. "I will go and inform the Lord, Lady, the Young Master, and the Young Mistress of your arrival."

"Xi Er Wa, where is Grandpa Louis? He used to come out to greet me."

"Butler Louis is recuperating from an illness, and the Earl has permitted him to retire. I am now serving as the butler of Tulip Castle. Young Master Liszt, if there is anything you need, just command me."

Louis had fallen ill and Xi Er Wa had become permanent.

Liszt furrowed his brow and decided to visit Louis. He had liked how Louis always greeted him with "Welcome home" whenever he arrived at Tulip Castle. It made him feel not like a guest, but as if he were the true owner of Tulip Castle, with a more homely feeling.

Now, Xi Er Wa had not used the term "home," showing that in his eyes, Liszt was just a guest.

Of course, from the standpoint of a fiefdom, Liszt was indeed a guest of Tulip Castle. He did not reside at Tulip Castle anymore, but it still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

The old butler Louis, after retiring, had moved out of Tulip Castle and into a manor log cabin beside the castle—he could still help with looking after the manor.

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Seeing Liszt tread through the snow, Louis, wrapped in a thick cotton coat, his bloodless face suddenly lit up with a trace of radiance, "I knew the proudest scion of the old master would definitely come to attend the New Year's banquet. Unfortunately, I've fallen ill and can't welcome you in person."

"I came especially to visit you, hoping you'll recover soon," Liszt said with a gentle smile.

Louis's life wasn't bad; charcoal burned in the manor's fireplace, warming the room considerably, and two servants were cleaning—clearly, the Earl wasn't going to let his lifetime-contributing butler spend his twilight years in desolation.

They chatted for a while.

Listening to Louis recount stories from his childhood was heartwarming.

But soon, Levis found his way there: "Liszt, I was wondering where you'd gone. You're here with Grandpa Louis, I was looking for you."

"Young Master Levis, Young Master Liszt, if you have business, please go ahead," Louis said.

"Grandpa Louis, rest assured and recuperate. If you need anything at all, just let me know," Liszt stood up.

Levis said directly, "Don't worry, Liszt, I'll take good care of Grandpa Louis... Let's hurry and have a drink, and also have a good talk about profitable trades. Thanks to your knightly honors, I've made a decent sum this year, hehe."

Black Tulip, Fresh Flower Brew, Black Pearl.

Plus some other trades.

As a channel dealer, Levis didn't earn any less than Liszt, and now his purse was getting fatter. He also grew closer to Liszt, not just because of the money but also because of the talent Liszt had shown—a 17-year-old Sky Knight whose future strength was sure to surpass the Earl's.

How could he not be close to such a dear younger brother?

Family ties are undoubtedly bonds between people, but interests are the eternal theme of social interaction.

"Talk business, brother? You should leave that to Mr. Frank and Consultant Goltai. I don't really care for such things," Liszt replied.

"Now that you're a Sky Knight, you indeed don't need to worry about these small businesses," Levis smacked his lips, quickly realizing he was no longer on the same level as Liszt—he remembered the times when Liszt used to pull him into business talks, and now he didn't give them a second thought.

Surely different strengths bring different perspectives.

He quickly changed the subject, "Where's your Corn Minor Elf? Did you bring it? Grandmother has mentioned it several times... And thanks to your knightly glory, the gift grandmother is sending us this year is still a potted plant! I've received several potted plants from her, and not a single Elf Bug to be seen!"

Everyone had grievances about Lady Penelope's potted plants.

Only Liszt was content, having already obtained a Dragon Kui Bug and a Fig Bug from Lady Penelope, gifts of considerable value.

"Oh, right." Levis added, "Grandpa, Uncle, and Cousin have all sent you gifts to congratulate you on becoming a Sky Knight. They're in the castle, do you want to see them now?"

Liszt immediately said with anticipation, "Gifts to congratulate me? Let's go have a look."

Receiving gifts is always joyful, especially when they're from Nobles relatives; who knows their value. Entering Tulip Castle, servants soon came with three boxes.