The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Liszt was well-grounded.

Not only did the Smoke Mission act as a golden crutch, allowing him to harness the power of fate even in a Mind Battle, but he also now possessed a Phoenix Incarnation. He had tried it; within the spirit of a dragon, the Phoenix Incarnation could still be used, and its power was formidable.

With the help of the Phoenix Incarnation, he was absolutely going to call the shots in the Mind Battle.

As long as the requirements of the Aluminum Dragon's Mind Battle weren't as quirky as those of the Formless Dragon, he wasn't afraid of not being able to win—most dragon Mind Battles were primarily about brute force, with other requirements playing a supporting role; only the Formless Dragon's was mostly about navigating a maze, which had caught Liszt off guard.

That's why he agreed to give Florenza Chase Wind Arrow a chance at a Mind Battle, letting Florenza get a taste of the Aluminum Dragon's Mind Battle requirements first.

Then, starting from those requirements, he could easily solve the Mind Battle.

Just as he was preparing to head to the Grey Iron Duchy,

the Greater Elf rewarded by the Smoke Mission finally surfaced. It wasn't evolved from a Little Minor Elf but was a wild Greater Elf discovered by the Pioneer Knights.

It was a Coffee Greater Elf, and there were many coffee trees in the primeval forests of Flame Island.

Coffee was a very common beverage among the nobility, and even though the nobles of the Flame Kingdom took pride in drinking tea due to Liszt's promotion of it, they still consumed a large amount of coffee. Therefore, even though the Coffee Greater Elf didn't produce Magic Potions, it was equivalent in value to grains.

"Let's call you Mundo," he declared.

There was no particular reason; Liszt just felt like naming the Coffee Greater Elf "Mundo."

"Jē lǐ wālā!" Mundo obviously didn't appreciate its name and didn't seem too pleased with the new environment, as it was accustomed to living in the wild.

However, this was a fact that couldn't be changed. Moreover, as a Greater Elf, it might be highly valued elsewhere, but it couldn't feel the same wholehearted love in Liszt's care—no other reason, but the number of Greater Elves that Liszt had was increasing, and this trip out might very likely add another seven Greater Elves to his collection.

Up to this point, not counting those Elves that were forcibly enlisted by the hands of Noble Landlords,

he already possessed three Dragon Elves:

Man-Eating Tree Dragon Spirit - Kali, Buckwheat Dragon Spirit - Yadi, Phoenix Perch Parasol Dragon Greater Elf - Ani.

Eleven Greater Elves:

Giant Algae Greater Elf - Pike, Pea Great Elf - Ash, Thorn Greater Elf - Jela, Mangrove Greater Elf - Nami, Potato Great Elf - Kuchi, Banana Greater Elf - Poppy, Millet Greater Elf - Tic, Corn Greater Elf - Mickey, Troll Taro Greater Elf - Karl, Gourd Greater Elf - Klay, Coffee Greater Elf - Mundo.

Further, he had over one hundred Little Minor Elves and more than five hundred Elf Bugs, and these spirits were still increasing continuously.

The sources mainly came from three aspects.

On one hand, the plantation nurtured spirits that emerged from the crops; on another, they were won from the Moon Slayer Natives as they expanded through the primeval forests; and the last was the mermaids who frequently swam in the sea, searching for spirits in the ocean.

Of course, whenever the horn of war sounded, there was a fourth, and largest, source of spirits—capturing them from the enemy.

"Now that there are more and more Greater Elves, naming them is getting more and more difficult," Liszt sighed as he rubbed Mundo's head.

Mundo swatted Liszt's hand away with a palm and cried "Jē lǐ wālā," annoyed when the red coffee cherries on its head tumbled down at a touch. These fallen coffee cherries were excellent seeds; if dried, they would be high-quality coffee beans, and the ground coffee tasted superb.

However, Mundo was very protective of these little fruits atop its head and rarely gave anyone the opportunity to pick them.

...

In June, Flame Island was in the rainy season and heavy rains were frequent.

To the former Moon Slayers, the greatest fear in the primeval forest during torrential rains was flooding. But now in Flame Island, every inhabited area had extensive ditches constructed, ensuring smooth drainage and irrigation.

Moreover, driven by the Mermaid Saltwater Marquis Bluposi, the Fish Ugly Race thoroughly reorganized several rivers, including Whirlpool River. They widened and deepened them, virtually eliminating the possibility of flooding and also created numerous large water storage lakes.

These man-made lakes could store water in the summer rainy season and in the winter dry season, water could be channeled for irrigation, allowing crops to grow even in winter.

With such efforts sustained,

in a few decades, Flame Island would become a land of abundance, providing ample food and clothing all year round.

On such a rainy morning, Liszt set off with Ach. Accompanied by Little Fire Dragon Leo, Bone Dragon Vinnie, Unicorn Charlie, and the sleeping Little Water Dragon, they mounted Formless Dragon Bard and tore through the material boundary to enter the world beyond matter.

They found a natural node located in the Eagle Kingdom and crossed through it.

Following the map provided by Lawrence Green Luo, they flew towards Grey Iron Duchy. When Formless Dragon Bard grew tired, they switched to Little Fire Dragon Leo for high-altitude flight.

Without stopping, they arrived at the Grey Iron Duchy just as it had been eleven days since Lawrence left Flame Island.

In other words, Lawrence should have returned to the Grey Iron Duchy yesterday and reported the preliminary results of the negotiation to Duke of Grey Iron Piero Grey Mouth Iron.

Thus Liszt flew directly to the Royal Palace of the Grey Iron Duchy - Iron Shell Fort.

Sure enough.

As soon as Liszt emerged near Iron Shell Fort, knights came forth to pay respects and quickly galloped to the fort to notify Duke Pierrot. Shortly afterwards, Duke Pierrot arrived on horseback and, after dismounting, performed a follower's courtesy to Liszt.

"Liszt Your Majesty, thank you for your arrival. Please allow me to show you around Iron Shell Fort; I have already arranged a banquet," said Duke Pierrot.

"Duke Pierrot, let's dispense with meals and touring. It's the matter at hand that's urgent. What do you think of the cooperation proposal I had Lawrence bring back?" Liszt asked.

"I can agree to the seven Greater Elves, but for the chance to participate in Mind Battles, I hope to add two more opportunities," Pierrot, familiar with Liszt's character, did not beat around the bush.

"Why two times?" Liszt inquired.

"Besides Florenza, I have another illegitimate child who also has the talent to be a contender for Dragon Knight," Pierrot mentioned proudly.

His own talent was mediocre, but the talents of his two bastards were unexpectedly excellent.

This was why he was determined to return home and take charge of the Grey Iron Duchy.

The legal heir, his eldest son Petterford of Grey Mouth Iron, did not possess outstanding talent and was merely capable of maintaining the status quo. If the Grey Iron Dragon hadn't been lost, Petterford's succession as duke would have been harmless, but with the loss of the Grey Iron Dragon, the family was sure to decline under Petterford's leadership.

Therefore, he wanted to leverage the talents of his two bastards to help the Grey Mouth Iron Family return to the ranks of the Dragon Rearing Families.

"Two chances for Mind Battles?" Liszt squinted his eyes, feeling that he could agree; after all, becoming a Dragon Knight was not so simple. Every year there were so many contenders for Dragon Knight, yet only one in a hundred would succeed, "I can agree, but in return, I want ten Greater Elves."

He then added, "If you cannot provide them, then give me a Dragon Sprite."

Duke Pierrot smiled bitterly, "Your Majesty, your demands are too harsh. I can only offer eight Greater Elves… The opportunity of the Aluminum Dragon is more valuable to you than any Dragon Sprite."

"The opportunity of the Aluminum Dragon is indeed invaluable, but without my help, you would lose that opportunity, wouldn't you?"

"How about this? I provide eight Greater Elves and ten Minor Elves, and in addition to that, if you help me eliminate Marquis Pilof of Boulder, I will provide you with an extra lead on a Sub-dragon."