The Mighty Dragons Are Dead-Chapter 1037 - 1034 New Expectations

Chapter 1037: Chapter 1034: New Expectations

Chapter 1037 -1034: New Expectations

Emily’s praise was sincere, and even Liszt himself felt a sense of greatness.

He had already ridden eight dragons, and besides, he had Ach, the Archmage mounted on a Unicorn, and Lerald·Truth, the new Archmage who had pledged allegiance to him.

Effectively, ten beings at the pinnacle of power had gathered, representing immense combat strength.

From the perspective of the dragon slaying battle, it was enough to overturn the rule of the Eagle Kingdom with a single fight. However, from a foundational standpoint, the Knight Class of the Flame Kingdom was still too scant to replace the Eagle Kingdom’s rule over such an expansive territory. Moreover, the Eagle Kingdom wouldn’t want to face the dragon slaying battle themselves.

Adonis Moonlight Silver’s strategy was straightforward: avoid fighting, accumulate strength, then desperately seek allies and contain Liszt’s expansion.

He had already revealed news of the Sacred Dragon to the Kushan Imperial, and it was evident that both the Neverfall Empire and the Blue Dragon Empire had likely received the message as well. It was just that these two empires were too remote to easily vie for the Formless Dragon, unless they were plotting something sinister from the shadows.

This was precisely what Liszt was most cautious of. He dared not recklessly initiate the dragon slaying battle, fearing that the two great empires might take advantage of the situation to strike at him from the darkness.

It was hard to say whether the trump card of the Phoenix Incarnation had been exposed.

Who knew what unimaginable means an empire with thousands of years of heritage might possess.

“Moreover, even winning the dragon slaying battle against the Eagle Kingdom wouldn’t allow us to seize so many dragons; Mind Branding is a massive complication,” he sighed inwardly.

The Mind Branding offered great reinforcement to a dragon’s mental world; the challenge was not just the dragons, but facing a Completion-term Dragon Knight as well.

One would have to use the Bewildering Dragon Mind Fruit to lock down the dragon itself, then wear it down over time, eventually erasing the Mind Branding.

He now possessed only two Bewildering Dragon Mind Fruits, and it was not cost-effective to use them on the dragons of the Eagle Kingdom—even with the Jade Dragon’s Hind Leg, cultivating a Mind Fruit Tree and bearing new Bewildering Dragon Mind Fruits would undoubtedly require a significant sacrifice, possibly even relying on a dragon’s carcass to nourish the tree.

Originally, the Mind Fruit Tree on Mind Island was able to bear fruit only with the nourishment from Light Green Gem Dragon Ethan.

This meant that one dragon as nourishment might yield two to three Bewildering Dragon Mind Fruits. It sounded profitable, but the execution of slaying dragons for fruit was exceedingly difficult. After all, the resources spent on raising an adult dragon were astronomical.

While the Kushan Imperial had remnants of the Jade Dragon to cultivate the Bewildering Dragon Mind Fruits, their number of dragons hadn’t increased wildly, indicating the complexities involved in using them.

“However, I wonder if it would be feasible to try and form an alliance with the Steel Ridge Kingdom or even unite with the Blast Furnace Fortress Kingdom to divide the Eagle Kingdom?” he pondered another approach, “The Flame Kingdom is destined to rise. With the Formless Dragon on my side, not even the Kushan Imperial could assassinate me, and neither Steel Ridge nor Blast Furnace Fortress have the means to destroy me.”

Since the Flame Kingdom couldn’t be overthrown, the choice facing both Steel Ridge and Blast Furnace Fortress was either passive resistance or active cooperation.

Passive resistance was no different than a slow death, which the two royal families should recognise through their years of political maneuvering.

Thus, active cooperation seemed like the better option: join forces to carve up the Eagle Kingdom and then grow together. With increased strength, they would be more confident in facing the rise of the Flame Kingdom.

“Actually, no matter the choice, it seems impossible to halt my rise. With the speed of my strength’s growth, I’ll soon become an overwhelming force… However, I could try to convince Steel Ridge and Blast Furnace Fortress to believe that I’m only coveting the mainland territory of the Eagle Kingdom, and after swallowing part of it, I’d be satisfied and remain their equal.”

He didn’t want to bother with this headache-inducing diplomatic strategy.

Better to return and toss the matter to the Development Committee to worry about.

…

Sapphire Calendar Year 156, the autumnal Pioneer Mandate war began in October, ravaging the rich coastlines of the Dense Corridor and Aden Bay and ended by the end of December.

The charging knights returned to their domains, embracing their wives and children while also bringing back countless spoils of war.

This time, tens of thousands of Earth Knights, hundreds of thousands of Apprentice Knights, as well as several hundred thousand serfs, were forced to migrate to the Flame Kingdom. Among them, numerous Noble Landlords were included; however, a significant portion of these Noble Landlords surrendered immediately and were not treated as captives.

Liszt didn’t have the heart to forcefully take away their wealth.

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Very few actual captives were taken, and even fewer were willing to pay a ransom for their freedom—because there was no point in returning, as the entire Dense Corridor and Aden Bay had been picked clean of people, resources, Elves, and more.

Fire Dragon cargo ships and Iron Dragon warships shuttled back and forth between Mind Island and the coastline like public buses.

The Eagle Royal Family received reports passed on by rats, and although Liszt didn’t know what Adonis Moonlight Silver thought about it, he himself was undoubtedly very comfortable. With the departure of the last fleet from the continental coastline, he also left immediately, returning to Flame Island to quietly tally the gains of this year’s Pioneer Mandate war.

Compared to last year’s rushed Pioneer Mandate, this year’s was thoroughly prepared and on a larger scale, thus the population and resource gains were well over four times that of the previous year.

Unfortunately, too many Nobles surrendered, resulting in Liszt not receiving much in terms of Elf reinforcements.

Only a few Little Minor Elves and a batch of Elf Bugs were added to the mix, which was insignificant compared to the Elves bred on Flame Island.

“Father, the knights who joined the Pioneer Mandate this time must be carefully arranged and strictly supervised. Many of them have covertly operated Mercenary Corps in the past, engaging in shady deals. I do not wish for them to bring such practices to the Flame Kingdom,” Liszt remarked.

“Rest assured, I will manage these knights meticulously,” replied Li Weiliam.

“Any noble who violates the laws, no matter how high their rank, must be dealt with seriously… It seems somewhat unkind to punish without teaching first, Father, so why don’t you draft a ‘Flame Kingdom Knight Management Code’ in my name, specifying which behaviors should be encouraged and which must be strictly prohibited?”

“The Development Committee has been compiling the future Flame Kingdom’s laws recently, and the main body is already complete. Plucking a few provisions from there will be enough to compile the ‘Flame Kingdom Knight Management Code’,” Li Weiliam explained, his primary task as the leader of the Development Committee was to prepare for the formation of the Kingdom.

A country, especially a Kingdom.

Once established, all aspects such as laws and regulations, social systems, production and construction, foreign strategies, internal framework, and feudal knight assignments had to be perfected as soon as possible, or the country would sooner or later fall into chaos. In fact, if not for Liszt’s overwhelming deterrent power, the Flame Kingdom would already be in disarray.

The personnel makeup is far too imbalanced.

The Moon Slayers are currently the largest group, but most belong to the lowest stratum. Initially, they might have rejoiced over leaving the forest and having full bellies, but as time goes by, envy is inevitable when they see others living better lives. Fortunately, the Ancient Mages among the Moon Slayers have been properly settled, so the grievances of the lower-class serfs are not a significant issue.

The next largest group is the Eagle People, who have migrated in batches, some as captives who surrendered, and others traded as serfs. Language, culture, and customs cause the Eagle People to inevitably stick together, creating a significant barrier. Even if they are forcefully dispersed and settled in different cities, there will still be cliques forming.

Then there are those called Flame People, the veterans most loyal to Liszt, but their numbers are far too few.

In short.

The Flame Kingdom is like a pile of sand forcibly held together by Liszt, governed by his powerful hand and sustained by the strict social hierarchy of nobles, commoners, and serfs under the knightly system.

It will take a great deal of time to solidify fully and convert everyone to citizens of the Flame Kingdom.

Liszt isn’t worried about this—at as long as he exists, the Flame Kingdom will not fall into chaos.

He now has a new anticipation, “The year-end festival is approaching, and the Red and White Rose Family’s Envoy Group should be arriving soon. I wonder what kind of gifts my old friend will bring this year.”