The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

From east to west, from south to north.

Liszt, with Ach on the back of the landwalker bird Loki, swiftly toured Black Horse Island in its entirety, admiring all the thriving towns that were bustling with activity, as well as the increasingly orderly plantations and workshops.

"This is paper. Its quality has just reached the standards for writing, but the process still needs further improvement. Once the process is truly perfected, it will be the era of paper replacing parchment, and this technology will be a crucial pillar of industry after the founding of my nation," he said.

Ach rubbed the whitened sheets of paper, "It's quite magical how just some tree bark and straw can be turned into paper that seems even better than parchment."

"Of course," Liszt replied. "Magic is indeed wondrous, but the power of technology is an equally formidable force not to be overlooked."

"Hmm, my brother has said a lot, the power of steam, once harnessed, will change the entire world."

Liszt had mentioned the industrial revolution; Watt's invention of the steam engine sparked the eighteenth-century industrial revolution. Of course, he spoke of it in terms of conjecture and foresight, "Leo is an Elemental Dragon and cannot produce gemstones and metals, so using its Superior Magic to develop industry is the quickest way to monetize its value."

In fact, it was not the quickest way—the quickest way would be to plunder, to issue a Pioneer Mandate, just like what the Sapphire Duke did.

If the industrial vibe of paper production was still rather weak, seeming more like a cottage industry,

Then the shock Ach felt was immense when they visited the glass workshop and saw how stones, under the fierce heat of the Fire Dragon Overmagic, became fiery liquid masses, which the workers would then retrieve, stretch, and shape into different glassware, slowly cooling down. It was his first encounter with the formidable potential of industry.

"This is called an assembly line. If it were just one person's efforts, the production of glass would be very limited. But when each worker masters a specific process, not only can production efficiency be accelerated, but the risk of technical leakage can also be effectively reduced... I've been promoting the use of assembly line magic operations at the Magic Academy, based on the same principle," Liszt explained.

"Brother's ideas are really... astonishing!" Ach said with awe.

Liszt casually responded, "Just basic operations."

Apart from the glass workshop that bore a slight hint of industrialization, the other workshops hadn't yet shed the appearance of primitive handcrafting; at most, Liszt had imposed stricter standards for hygiene and environment, making them look cleaner and more orderly, but essentially there wasn't much change—the greater changes were in infrastructure.

The roads were paved with bricks mixed with rubber water, creating smooth and broad "rubber roads." Residential and workshop areas featured tall water towers accessible everywhere, which were used for firefighting and flushing effluents, regularly washing out the underground pipes—every house had sewage pipes connected to the city's underground network.

There were toilets everywhere, strictly in accordance with Liszt's requirements to prohibit public urination and defecation, with violators not only facing fines but also correctional labor.

Liszt was also preparing to promote the use of waterwheels and aqueducts—that is, using waterwheels to lift water from rivers and lakes and transport it through elevated pipes to the water towers in towns. However, as the construction of the town was currently busy, this planning stage had not been reached yet. As long as the castle's needs were met, he didn't mind the slower pace.

Just as those Noble Landlords didn't care about urban sanitation because they lived in castles, which the stench couldn't reach.

Liszt also lived in a castle where he could enjoy complete health and convenience services, so he didn't mind if the city was a bit behind. In fact, the towns under his rule were already considered exemplars of civilization in this world, and their livability was comparable to the castles of the Nobles.

Many merchants chose to buy houses in Fresh Flower Town—only in Fresh Flower Town, as Black Horse Island had not yet opened for settlements.

Living in such a clean and sanitary environment, it really becomes difficult to return to those filthy cities filled with excrement after one gets used to it. Even many small nobles from rural estates have bought houses in Fresh Flower Town to enjoy the convenient life of a "modernized" town—along with delicious food and rich theater life.

The port town, which was gradually developing into a city, was a highlight of the visit.

Near Green Tea Town lay a desolate piece of land, also a highlight of the visit. Pointing at this barren land, Li Si Te said to Ach, "It was right here that Leo and I encountered the Formless Dragon, a type of Sacred Dragon. It ate my beef and Smoked Grass and gifted me these Space Gems."

He took out a Space Gem and handed it to Ach, "This Space Gem is for you, Ach, as a gift for your advancement to Archmage. Let me personally put it on for you."

The Space Gem was already set into a Mithril Ring crafted by the Iron Knight Alvin Eagle Sword, which could be called a Space Ring, dazzling and eye-catching.

Li Si Te took Ach's delicate hand and, amidst her expressions of astonishment and joy, slipped the shimmering ring onto her left middle finger, "You can study it well... Perhaps one day I will ride the Formless Dragon myself, and then, if I want more Space Gems, I'll have as many as I desire."

There was a time when a single Space Gem was treasured as a priceless gem, carefully guarded by him, not daring to show it off in front of others.

And he was reluctant to give it to anyone.

However, after becoming a Dragon Knight, he no longer worried about the Space Gems being discovered. Moreover, he had two Bewildering Dragon Mind Fruits, and sooner or later, he was going to ride the Formless Dragon—with that time coming, Space Gems would become an important gemstone resource for his newly-founded nation to trade with other countries.

Compared to Sapphires, Rubies, and Green Gems, the value of Space Gems was evidently greater.

"I have Leo and the Formless Dragon, two dragons whose combat power will protect my nation, and I believe that even if I don't have a Kingdom to rely on, no one would dare provoke me then!"

A Kingdom with six or seven Dragon Knights is considered normal, but Dragon Knights often have entanglements with each other, and truly free Dragon Knights are very few. The fall of just one Dragon Knight could cause great turmoil for a nation, and naturally, they would not casually send out Dragon Knights to wage wars for slaying dragons.

Before the Duchy of Sapphire was established, the Eagle Kingdom only sent out one Dragon Knight to initiate a dragon-slaying war, which speaks volumes.

If two Dragon Knights had been dispatched, perhaps there would have been no matter of the Duchy of Sapphire at all.

"So this is a Space Gem, it requires magic power to activate it... It's incredibly magical, having its own independent space, as if it doesn't exist in this world yet is connected to it! Truly incredible, big brother is not only a Fire Dragon's Dragon Knight but also has friendly interactions with the Formless Dragon."

Ach was extremely shocked, not just at the Gemstone Space but also at Li Si Te.

Conquering a Fire Dragon was already an incredulous feat, and now Li Si Te was clearly beginning to conquer a second dragon, a Formless Dragon from among the Sacred Dragons.
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This nearly made her lose herself in admiration for Li Si Te.

In the face of such worshipful eyes from the Little Sea Monster.

Li Si Te still maintained an expression as light as the clouds and as gentle as the breeze, "The Formless Dragon, although an old friend of mine, comes at most once a year. When it comes next time, I'll introduce you... Now let's go to Thorn Castle to see the future new home and get familiar with the surroundings."