Chapter 128: Glory Belongs to the Lord

Loki had indeed grown larger, mainly due to his muscles bulging significantly. It felt as though the power of the Bloodline Fruit had inflated him, giving him a somewhat swollen appearance.

"Master Marcus, have you ever seen a mid-level magic beast?"

"No."

"Neither have I."

Not everyone could see a mid-level magic beast. Just like how Coral Island only had one Sky Knight in the form of the Count, and the entire island only had one mid-level magic beast in the form of the Purple Sand Crocodile. This wasn't a crocodile kept in a zoo that could be visited with a ticket. The magic of a mid-level magic beast was no longer just a single type.

According to Tulip Castle's records,

the Purple Sand Crocodile was a water-attribute magic beast. During a probing battle with the knight regiment, it had released three types of magic.

They were "Water Arrow Volley," "Water Wave Shield," and the very powerful "Waterfall," which could create waves over ten meters high on land, capable of crushing Earth Knights to death with its force.

Therefore,

whether Loki had evolved into a mid-level magic beast or not, Liszt didn't dare to make a definitive judgment. At least from his current state, Loki hadn't changed much. Even in his berserk state, he didn't have an overwhelming advantage over the Wind Blade Wolf pack—the numerous wounds all over his body were proof of that.

"In any case, the Bloodline Fruit should have brought about some changes for Loki. Under its subtle influence, it would make him even more powerful." Liszt consoled himself, not wanting to dwell too much on it.

The knight squad spent half a day but still hadn't finished cleaning up the magic beasts' corpses.

This was mainly because the Thunder Fang Boar was simply too large, weighing roughly the same as an adult hippopotamus, coming close to three tons. No matter how strong the horses were, they couldn't carry the Thunder Fang Boar. There were also two Fierce Earth Dogs, seven Wind Blade Wolves, and one Shadow Snake. Today's harvest was incredibly bountiful.

"Let's send back part of the magic beasts' corpses first, then bring the carriages from the merchant convoy. There are still quite a few beasts' corpses stockpiled in this thorn forest," Marcus said after thinking for a moment.

Liszt had no objections to this. It was a trivial matter, and he was too lazy to bother considering it.

He now only wanted to return to the castle, take a good bath, and then sleep.

On the way back, he summoned the smoke mission.

"Mission completed. Reward: One Bloodline Fruit."

"Mission: You have already launched an attack, determined to wipe out Thorns Ridge and create a peaceful new environment for Flower Town. Then, in one fell swoop, complete the slaughter of all the magic beasts on Thorns Ridge. Reward: The trail of the Lyrical Dragon Horse herd."

The new mission invigorated Liszt.

The reward was actually the trail of the Lyrical Dragon Horse herd—he had always suspected whether the Lyrical Dragon Horse was alone. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any horses on the island, but who could guarantee that there really wasn't a herd? After all, this was a world filled with magic. He never expected that the smoke mission would directly provide a clue.

There was indeed a Lyrical Dragon Horse herd.

These were dragon-blooded horses, their value was self-evident.

"I originally planned to rest after wiping out the southern Thorns Ridge and finding the Bloodline Fruit. But now, it seems I can't rest. I'll directly push through and complete the extermination work, welcoming my Lyrical Dragon Horse herd!"

...

The moon had long since set.

The sky was full of stars, shining brightly.

Under the starlight, Liszt and his Knight Squad returned to the castle with a full load.

The castle was lit up, and Butler Old Carter had been waiting all along. He didn't know when the master of the castle would return. According to Liszt's instructions before he left, if he didn't return by nightfall, there was no need to wait. But Carter would still get out of bed from time to time, come to the window, and look outside.

Then, he saw torches.

"It's Master returning," Carter felt inexplicably relieved and hurriedly put on his clothes, knocking on Mrs. Mo Sen's door. "Mrs. Mo Sen, Master has returned. Wake up the maids and prepare a bath for Master. Have the kitchen quickly prepare a late-night snack. The team is already on the Loki Road."

"Yes, Mr. Carter, I'll get up right away," Mrs. Mo Sen replied.

Carter quickly woke up the male servants one by one, then continuously lit lamps,

awakening the entire castle from the darkness—Master liked light, he always said not to be afraid of wasting candles, they were rich now! The castle's rapidly brightened lights

made the master returning on horseback feel particularly refreshed.

Liszt couldn't help but think of a song—Stars Light the Lamp, illuminating the door of my home, allowing lost children to find their way back.

It didn't seem particularly fitting, so he thought of another poem—I clip-clop my beautiful mistake, I am not a returning person, but a passerby...

Well.

Neither were particularly fitting.

Unable to find a suitable sentence to describe his current mood, he was simply excited. Arriving at the castle gate, the servants had already lined up to welcome him.

"The glory of the knights blesses us! Master, seeing you return safely, my heart is finally at ease."

"There's no need to worry, Mr. Carter. I just went hunting in the forest and didn't encounter any danger," Liszt said with a smile. "Tom, take my retainer knights and drive out the carriages from the merchant convoy. Later, we'll go back to Thorns Ridge and bring back all the prey we hunted... You'll be busy tonight."

"Yes, Master, I'll go right away," Tom replied.

Carter, seeing that the Knight Squad was carrying the prey's corpses, understood that it would be a sleepless night: "Serving Master is our honor."

"Has Mrs. Abby prepared the late-night snack?"

"The kitchen has already started working. I asked Mrs. Abby to prepare enough for the entire Knight Squad."

"Very well. When we return again, we must drink to our hearts' content and celebrate today's bountiful harvest." Liszt didn't dismount. "Thomas, lead Loki away. It has injuries, so bandage them up for it."

"As you wish, Master."

Liszt glanced at the unladen prey and added, "Mr. Carter, inform Master Gort that he can come and divide this batch of prey. Keep a portion in the castle, give a portion to the families of the officials and retainer knights, and the remaining portion will be supplied to the seafood shop. The price will be the same as seafood."

These prey referred to the wild beasts.

As for the monsters, they certainly couldn't be handled that way—Liszt wasn't that generous. Apart from selling them for money, their meat was his exclusive food; at most, during banquets, he would let his subordinates have a taste.

...

After two consecutive trips, he finally brought back all of today's harvest.

Piled in front of the castle, it resembled a small mountain.

The first-floor hall was bustling with activity.

For once, transcending the nobility system, the lord and his retainers sat at the same table.

Tonight's late-night snack was comparable to a festival feast—Liszt had the kitchen prepare an entire Shadow Snake as steak, and officials and retainers alike were given large portions of snake steak.

The meat of magic-rich monsters was a nourishing delicacy, something they rarely got to eat. Taking this opportunity, everyone was feasting heartily, wishing they could lick their plates clean.

Even Doulson, outside the castle, received a large piece of snake steak.

"The glory of the knight shines upon Flower Town, upon our lord, where courage and wisdom coexist! I propose we raise our glasses together, toasting Liszt, who is favored by the knight's glory. The honor belongs to our lord!" Gort, holding a cup filled with juniper wine, led the atmosphere of the entire banquet.

Socializing and setting the mood were his specialties.

The others raised their cups, shouting loudly, "Honor belongs to our lord!"

Liszt, sitting in the main seat, no longer wore the formal noble smile but instead had an excited grin, enjoying the atmosphere. He lifted the cup before him and said aloud, "Honor belongs to me, and I am with all of you!"