The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

"So, after a charge, you crushed the knights of Mane City, annihilated all the Earth Knights, and then the knights left inside the castle surrendered, allowing you to easily take the castle?"

The Earl was somewhat surprised by Liszt's speed.

It had only been two days, and already Liszt had completed the purge of Mane City and captured it. Meanwhile, there had been no word back from Jonas, who had gone to Little River City, or from Trick, who had gone to Green Shade City.

"I have Douson. Father, you should be aware of the combat power of an Intermediate Magical Beast. A swath of Rock Spikes completely disrupted the enemy's charge formation, and then they were shattered by my Black Knight Order in one strike." Because they were speaking in private, he didn't use the formal title "Earl".

"Douson is growing fast. It's only over a year old and can already show its ferocity on the battlefield... With Douson, the battle became much easier to fight. Currently, Sned is hiding in Celery Fort, no matter how I provoke him, he refuses to show himself, which is perfect for allowing Douson to demonstrate its talent in dismantling castles."

"Bringing down a Nameless Castle is simple, but taking down Celery Fort might prove a bit challenging; however, damaging the castle's structure is still doable."

"Damaging the structure is enough. Sned will definitely not just watch his castle being ruined. When he makes his move, I will take his head off."

As a Sky Knight of the Sword Saint Level, Li Weiliam was fully confident in dealing with a regular Sky Knight.

Liszt smiled and said, "I look forward to that moment."

The Earl of Coral Island felt somewhat nostalgic: "Before we realize it, we three of us, father and sons, have already been fighting side by side on the battlefield. In a few more years, Lidun will also be ready for battle... You performed well this time, I will note your achievements. Accumulating a few more military exploits should be enough to make you a Viscount."

Obviously, capturing a minor city alone was not enough to become a Viscount.

But now there was still Bull Hair City to be conquered, and gaining a share of the military exploits there, followed by contributing in other city sieges, could potentially make him a Viscount in one go without waiting for the next Pioneer Mandate war.

He suddenly thought of a question: "Father, I had knights send you a message — the major issue that Sned was discussing with the magician, have you found out what it is?"

Initially, that free rat, whose brother heard Sned and the magician engaged in a secret conversation, was waiting for a major event to happen.

That weighed heavily on Liszt's mind.

The Earl furrowed his brows: "I've already dispatched people to contact Marquis Glendenton. He replied, assuring me that he will keep communication open with the First Prince and the Second Prince to ensure that nothing unexpected happens in the war situation. As for what that major event is, we still don't know, but if it's real, it might have something to do with the Goat Assembly."

In fact, there was another possibility related to dragons, but neither father nor son mentioned it.

"Has the Wrath Knight Order of the Marquis of Bull conquered Bull Tail City?"

"Of course not. Marquis Wallace has already rushed over, and the First Prince has also sent your uncle. With the Pineapple Green Family's Knight Order and the Long Taro Family's Knight Order, holding off Marquis Wallace's Wrath Knight Order isn't difficult. However, I've heard that a Grand Magician has joined the battle, leading to a stalemate."

"Can a Grand Magician really sway the outcome of a knight's charge?" Liszt asked, his concept of a Grand Magician still not entirely clear.

He only knew that a Grand Magician was very skilled in magic, even daring to have designs on dragons—the Grand Magicians of the Maple Leaf Grand Duchy were targeting Light Dragons, resulting in the likes of Paris and other Black Dragon Children; the Grand Magicians of the Duchy of Sapphire were targeting Sapphire Dragons, which led to the revolt of the Marquis.

Truly deserving of the title of Evil Magician.

But by conventional wisdom, magicians should not be able to contend with knights; a charging knight could easily crush a magician.

The Earl considered for a moment before speaking slowly: "The reason knights dominate is not because they are necessarily stronger than magicians; it's just that Dou Qi cultivation is more universal. As long as one has sufficient nutrition from a young age, even those with poor talent can cultivate Dou Qi. Magic, however, requires aptitude."

An ordinary person.

Eating abundantly since childhood, coupled with ordinary methods of Dou Qi cultivation, one can inevitably practice low-level Dou Qi. Constantly consuming magical beast meat, one can inevitably practice intermediate Dou Qi. And with continuous infusion of magic potions, anyone who is not too foolish will be able to cultivate advanced Dou Qi.

In other words, ordinary Sky Knights can be mass-trained, provided there are sufficient resources.

Liszt's uncle, Mesiro, is an excellent example of this.

Marquis Merlin only has one son, Mesiro, so the Long Taro Family's resources were all poured into him, allowing him to successfully cultivate from a good-for-nothing to an ordinary-level Sky Knight.

Going further, it's not about stacking resources, or rather, even devoting the power of an entire nation would not be sufficient to afford the resources needed for the next step in cultivation.

"Out of a hundred people, ninety-nine can practice Dou Qi by eating meat, and among them, twenty might become Earth Knights by eating more meat. However, out of a hundred, probably only ten can be selected as magic apprentices, sense magic, and it's possible none of them will become magicians."

This significant proportion difference leads to knights ruling the world, rather than magicians.

The Earl shifted the topic, "Those who can become magicians are often geniuses. They are indispensable in making magic equipment, and in making magic potions. As for combat... in a fair one-on-one duel, I can defeat any Grand Magician, but in reality, Grand Magicians don't duel with knights."

He gave an example, "The Wrath Knight Order launched a surprise attack on the Second Prince's Knight Order. Clearly, it was backed by a Grand Magician from the Goat Assembly, just as you take Douson and use magic to break the charging formation of knights."

"Since Grand Magicians are so strong, why is it rare to see magicians accompany knight orders into battle?"

"A Grand Magician's magic can only be used for surprise attacks. While casting, magic needs to gather free-floating magic power from the air, but when knights charge, their Dou Qi gathers together, affecting all the surrounding magic power, preventing the magician from gathering enough magic power to cast spells."

This is the advantage of Douson; it can draw magic power from within itself to cast spells.

If magicians join the battlefield, as soon as knights begin to charge, it's as good as over for them. However, on the other hand, if a magician finds an opportunity to cast spells, it can result in heavy casualties among the knights. The elite Blueblood Knight Order led by the Second Prince might have been attacked by a magician this way.

"So,"

The Earl emphasized, "Don't underestimate magicians; they always cause trouble."

"I understand," Liszt nodded. "Father, could there be a Grand Magician hiding in Celery Fort? Sned insists on a stubborn defense; I think he must have something to rely on."

"It's possible, but it's no longer important. As long as this Grand Magician dares to show his face, my longsword will make him regret participating in a knight's war!"

…

The conversation between father and son was pleasant. After discussing warfare, the Earl also shared some experiences about cultivation with Liszt.

Now, the Earl increasingly saw Liszt not as a child, but as an adult capable of discussing matters with.

Liszt felt this atmosphere was good; it didn't make him uncomfortable—regardless of anything, he always had a complex, since he wasn't the true son of the Earl.

However, the harmonious atmosphere did not last long.

A knight who had rushed over with urgent speed brought some bad news.

The Grey Knight Order led by Jonas suffered tenacious resistance from the enemy forces. Despite heavy casualties, they still hadn't taken Little River City's castle.