The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Flame Town bustled with exceptional activity. Thirty large frame ships making three rounds transported materials, along with serfs, knights, and craftsmen, drawing nearly eight thousand people to the Starfire Plains, a population that could match some small cities. When Liszt had first been granted Fresh Flower Town, the town had a mere population of just over a thousand. Viscount Fernal Ink stepped into a newly opened tavern in Flame Town. "Viscount, sir." "Viscount Fernal." Several knights, not clad in leather armor, greeted him with their half-baked Serpent Script inside the small tavern, and he responded to them, likewise in his halting Serpent Script. The official language of Flame Town was Serpent Script. The great Dragon Knight, Lord Landlord, stipulated that the Knight Class must use Serpent Script as the daily language of communication. As for the ordinary civilians, there was no such requirement; they could speak Serpent Script or Wind Language as they pleased. Fernal understood very well in his heart that the Lord Landlord was "de-Eagle-izing" them, diluting the Eagle Kingdom label on these knights. However, he thought it unnecessary because the knights had no loyalty to the Eagle Kingdom, they were only loyal to their own landlords. And the landlords of this group of knights had already surrendered to the great Dragon Knight, Prince Liszt Flame. A small portion of landlords who paid their own ransoms and returned to their countries neglected their followers, naturally failing to win the hearts of their knights. Thus, most of the knights here eagerly looked forward to a future in the Flame Country, where they could hold the status of Founding Contributors, certainly better than their previous insignificance. Moreover, following the great Dragon Knight was a glory far beyond that of following an ordinary landlord. Everyone knew that Prince Liszt was not just a Dragon Knight, he also had an Archmage beside him for assistance. The strength of Flame Country far exceeded that of the Duchy of Sapphire, destined to dominate the Azure Sea. It was for such reasons that Fernal ultimately pledged loyalty to Liszt. After learning basic Serpent Script on Black Horse Island, he came to Flame Town to pioneer the lands. As a Sky Knight, he led several Knight Squads, the main task being to hunt nearby Magical Beasts and provide safety assurances to the serfs clearing the forests and claiming land. "A glass of pure black beer," Fernal placed a few silver coins on the table. The tavern proprietor immediately poured a large glass of frothy black beer from the Wine Barrel and handed it to Fernal, "Please enjoy, Viscount." Gulp, gulp. Fernal took a big gulp and felt the icy black beer slide down his throat, the day's fatigue from laboring in the forest seemed to dissipate with the beer, "Refreshing!" He licked his lips and added, "Just too expensive!" The tavern owner chuckled, "This black beer is one of the few luxury supplies in Flame Town, painstakingly transported by the great Lord Landlord and Prince Archmage. Naturally, it's costly. And we had to ask a few Magicians to create ice shards for chilling, another considerable expense." Flame Town was still unable to be self-sufficient; all supplies relied on the provision from Black Horse Island, and the frame ships had limited cargo space for alcohol, hence the sky-high prices of every beer. However, among the craftsmen traveling to Flame Town were brewers, who were already gathering wild fruits from the forest to make wine, and soon enough the fruit wine would be abundantly supplied. "Get out, don't start with that; you're just a greedy merchant!" Fernal didn't want to listen to any of it. The tavern owner wasn't annoyed and continued polishing the glass in his hand. He was an old-timer from Fresh Flower Town, meaning he was one of Liszt's earliest subjects. As Liszt kept developing, these old-timers' status rose significantly, and many became stewards of plantation farms. While not part of the official hierarchy, managing a plantation farm's serfs still granted some power. The tavern owner, no longer wishing to keep farming, switched to being a Merchant, and later followed Liszt to Flame Town to open this tavern. Business was booming. Of course, the tavern paid no small amount in taxes. The reason Liszt allowed the tavern's existence in Flame Town, despite the scarcity of living supplies, was twofold: one was to provide knights a place to unwind, and the other was to recoup the rewards given to the knights. He wasn't concerned with the quantity of money, but whether it could circulate. Money only breeds money when it flows. Without places to spend and enjoy themselves in Flame Town, the knights would have little energy, no matter how many gold coins he, Lord Landlord, gave them. By giving them gold coins and then earning them back, not only would it motivate them, but in the end, the money would return to his, Lord Landlord's, hands. How wonderful that would be. Misers never get rich. The twilight glow spilled into the little pub through the window, and the boisterous shouting of the knights quickly hushed, followed by all the knights getting up in disarray to bow and salute the striking figure who slowly entered through the door. Even Viscount Fernal stood up and saluted with all the knights, "Your Highness!" "Carry on with your affairs, no need for formalities, I'm just here for a drink," said the man who walked in through the doorway, Liszt—master of the Flame Islands, ruler of the Shell Sea, the future sovereign of Flame Country, and currently the sole ruler of Flame Town. After the knights had completed their formalities, they sat back down, but the arrival of Lord Landlord still made them restrained and afraid to make noise. Viscount Fernal also felt nervous. Although Liszt was only nineteen years old, the solemn aura about him made Fernal feel like he was on thin ice, trembling with fear. After all, this young man before them had personally slain a Dragon Knight during the battle against the dragon! A fearsome reputation indeed. Compared to Viscount Fernal's tension, the pub owner was much more relaxed, cheerfully greeting, "Your Highness, you're here. Would you like your favorite wheat beer as usual?" "Yes, a glass of wheat beer with ice," Liszt replied, sitting down after a Retainer Knight had wiped the bench clean. He would occasionally visit this little pub for a beer in the summertime. The pub owner opened the cabinet and took out a wine barrel from the innermost box, carefully unscrewed the lid, filled a glass with wheat beer, and presented it respectfully to Liszt, "Your Highness, your wheat beer." Liszt took the glass and sipped lightly. A Retainer Knight had already taken out a gold coin and placed it on the table—the price of wheat beer was high, as the raw materials and brewing process were the best, and it was brewed from a recipe purchased from the Lycra Family on Beer Island. The cool wheat beer was lightly bitter and tasted great. It was Liszt's favorite beer. If it weren't for the fact that his Space Ring was filled with various more important items, he would certainly have brought several large barrels of wheat beer to relieve the summer heat. Unfortunately, with only three Space Rings, he simply couldn't fit such provisions and had to come to the pub in Flame Town to satisfy his craving. Speaking of which, he had acquired the Formless Dragon, but had not obtained any more Space Gems. The reason was simple: unlike ordinary gemstone deposits, Space Gems were directly condensed by the Formless Dragon using Space Super Magic. Perhaps this was why it was considered a Sacred Dragon rather than a Gemstone Dragon. Liszt did not feel right asking the Formless Dragon to expend Space Super Magic to condense Space Gems—the dragon's growth was more important. Of course, the Formless Dragon would actively consume Space Super Magic to condense Space Gems during its most excited moments. Liszt would wait for the next time he prepared a Smoked Grass feast to ask for the Space Gems. Putting his glass down, Liszt turned to Viscount Fernal, "Viscount Fernal, is everything going smoothly?" "Very smoothly, Your Highness," Fernal replied with restraint. "Relax, now is off-duty time. We're all just here to have a drink and unwind," Liszt smiled. "The development of Flame Island cannot be achieved overnight; we will be immersed in these vast forests for the next few years. However, once the crops in the fields mature, this island will become our most fertile homeland." With that, Liszt raised his glass, gesturing towards Viscount Fernal and the knights in the pub, "To a better tomorrow, to building our own homeland, cheers!" The knights all shouted together, "To the glory of His Highness, cheers!"