The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

There are also Elf Bugs in the sea, a significant discovery.

Liszt couldn't help but contemplate how to obtain the ocean's Elf Bug resources—he could swim but not dive, and it was very tough to approach the Ocean Elf Bugs. Moreover, transferring Cordyceps into the sea was quite troublesome. Besides, the Cordyceps from the deep sea regions might not adapt to the shallow waters.

Even if the Cordyceps could adapt, the marine plants affected by them couldn't be relocated to coastal waters for cultivation—it would be a futile effort as these were marine plants that required certain habitats.

The current situation.

Even as an Elite Earth Knight known for consuming potions, he could not conquer the ocean.

But Sea Sprite Ake could do it, as she was a spirit of the ocean itself. She could easily contract any Elf Bug in the sea and move the Cordyceps at will.

As for his relationship with Ake, Liszt was never worried since they had an inseparable bond of kinship.

If he had to be wary of and distrust even Ake, life would be far too exhausting.

Of course.

For Elf Bugs that Liszt could contract, he still wanted to do it himself: "Ake, to manage the Elf Bugs more easily, from now on, when you find Elf Bugs in the shallow waters, be careful not to contract them. Leave them for me to contract, to fully utilize the Elf Bugs' potential."

"Mm, Ake understands."

"Also, when you play in the ocean, remember to pay extra attention to the various seaweeds. If you spot Elf Bugs, you must not let them slip away."

"Mm-hmm."

Since discovering the Elf Bugs in the ocean, Liszt had decided to heavily invest in Ake's development. In the future, he could rule the skies and the earth of his domain, and Ake would assist him in dominating the ocean.

…

For the Earl's birthday, Liszt also gifted a Black Pearl, though it was only the size of a sea bowl.

With the discovery of the Black Tridacna and Fen Hai Luo colonies, Black Pearls and Pink Pearls were no longer rare items. In fact, the Black Pearl, due to its abundant numbers, had significantly depreciated in Liszt's eyes. Now, he was only interested in Black Pearls larger than a basketball.

Because a basketball-sized Black Pearl, when made into a "Calming Wind Pearl," could disperse all Wind Attribute Magic Power within a hundred-meter radius, perfectly sheltering a sea vessel.

Smaller, and it wouldn't cover a ship sufficiently, naturally decreasing its value. Stay tuned with empire

Hence, aside from giving the Levis couple a basketball-sized Black Pearl for their wedding, he chose to give Black Pearls of sea bowl size or smaller for other festive gifts.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Even more so, he had decided to recognize the Black Pearl as a commodity for external sale, to increase his domain's financial revenue.

"Smaller Black Pearls and Pink Pearls can be sold. The pearls capable of making Calming Wind Pearls and Calming Water Pearls must be kept as strategic resources... But the names Calming Wind Pearl and Calming Water Pearl seem a bit lengthy. It might be better to simply call them Calming Wind Pearl and Water Calming Pearl."

A Calming Wind Pearl and a Water Calming Pearl, along with a Dragonbone Stabilizer, together composed the Calming Sea Set.

…

Noon was time for a family banquet.

So no followers came.

The Earl sat at the head of the table, with Lady Marie on his right side. Lady Penelope sat in the middle of the long table, with Levis and Loria sitting in the center on the other side. Next to them was Loria's sister, Rona Sally, who would spend some time at Tulip Castle with her sister and was not in a hurry to return.

Li Vera and Li Si Te (Liszt) sat at the other end of the long table.

The noble banquet did not have a strict seating arrangement, aside from the host taking the seat of honor and nobles of equal rank sitting at the same table; other than that, there weren't many particularities. In fact, at a buffet, there weren't even designated seats—everyone ate wherever they felt comfortable. After all, everyone was a landlord with only a nominal colleague relationship.

In most countries, including the Duchy of Sapphire, there wasn't centralized power but rather a feudal distribution of territory.

Regardless of the size of the territory, unless it was a relationship between a lord and his followers, there were no entanglements between them; hence there was no need to be too concerned about the disparities in their statuses,

For instance, Marquis Roderick of Golden Island, one of the six marquises of the Grand Duchy, would be greeted by Liszt, but nothing more than a nod was necessary; he owed his allegiance solely to Earl Li Weiliam.

As Liszt attended more banquets,

he became increasingly accustomed to this system and its rules, gradually shedding his bureaucratic mindset. He wouldn't go weak at the knees just because the other party was a marquis, nor would he think he could boss someone around just because they were merely an Honored Knight—the rights of nobles were confined to their own territories.

"Having been busy with overseas endeavors for many years, birthdays were seldom celebrated, and since Lidun's birth, the family hadn't added any new tableware."

The earl raised his glass and said with a smile, "Now that Levis has married Loria, the Tulip Family's dining table can finally be adorned with a new set of tableware. My hope is to add a second set as soon as possible. In fact, I wish to have more tableware each year than the year before."

The second set of tableware naturally meant for Levis and Loria to hurry and have children.

Even though the monogamy limited the number of nobles' offspring, the Nobles still hoped to have numerous descendants to carry on the family lineage.

"Father, Loria and I will work hard to provide the family with more children," Levis raised his glass and casually responded.

"It is your duty, not just to be taken lightly but to be treated as something even more important than seizing glory on the battlefield."

After advising the Levis couple, the earl turned to Li Vera: "My daughter, you are already twenty years old. You have your own thoughts, and I shall not interfere. However, I hope that you will take action soon, attend more social balls, meet more young nobles, and select a suitable partner."

"Of course, I understand," Li Vera replied.

Having spoken to Li Vera, it was then Liszt's turn.

The earl picked up his glass but pondered for a long time before saying: "Liszt, I am quite satisfied with everything about you. You are the Son of Glory of the Tulip Family—steady, smart, brave, with great vision. All the virtues of a knight can be found in you."

"I am just a bit luckier than others and a bit more thoughtful," Liszt said modestly.

"Luck is part of a knight's strength in itself. Let's drink to that," the earl tilted his head back and finished the wine in his glass.

Liszt also finished the wine in his glass.

Finally, the earl's gaze fell upon his youngest son Lidun and he gave him a series of wishes. As the half-brother of the three siblings from different mothers, Lidun had grown up under the protection of the earl and Lady Marie. Gifted and at the age of thirteen this year, he looked set to break through to become an Earth Knight soon.

Such talent posed a pressure on the three siblings.

Especially Levis, who felt the greatest pressure—many resources of the Tulip Family were devoted to Lidun, which made Levis, the legitimate eldest son and heir of the family, quite dissatisfied.

Liszt's predecessor had once been very jealous of Lidun's talents.

But the current Liszt was rather indifferent to Lidun. He harbored a hidden estrangement even towards his full siblings, Levis and Li Vera, let alone Lidun, a half-brother. He maintained a relationship where they did not encroach on each other's affairs.

He neither suppressed nor paid much attention to him.

His gaze was fixed on the vast future, with no place for Lidun in his vision.