Chapter 260: Chapter 0260: The Elf of the Sea (Fifth Update, Additional Chapter for 1200 Monthly Votes)
 

Dong, dong, dong!

The midnight bell of Long Taro Castle struck twelve, marking the official end of January 1st in the year 152 of the Sapphire Calendar.

Lying in bed, Liszt called forth the Smoke Mission with a heart brimming with anticipation.

As the festival drew to a close, the mission was indeed completed.

“Complete the mission, reward: the sprite of the sea—a Siren.”

“Hm?”

“This is…”

All drowsiness vanished from Liszt, replaced by excitement that had yet to explode: “The sprite of the sea? A Siren? Isn’t that a creature from legends!”

Sirens, legendary creatures of the ocean, appeared in knight novels only second to mermaids in frequency.

In most knight novels, Sirens are depicted as benevolent creatures with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a sea serpent. In a few knight novels, Sirens are portrayed as malevolent beings that lure and kill sailors at sea.

Unlike mermaids, the romantic figures of the sea in knight novels, and unlike the evil devils of the sea in folk tales—the Nagas, or the Fishmen, the hybrid creatures created by ancient magicians as mentioned in some magic books.

Sirens hold widespread appeal among sailors.

Many sailors would swear by their souls that during certain voyages, they heard ethereal singing over the sea that intoxicated them. Quite a few even claimed that when their ships were lost at sea, it was the Sirens’ singing that guided them to the right direction.

Liszt held no doubts about the existence of Sirens – what’s so surprising about them when Phantom Ships had already made their appearance?

Whether it be mermaids, Nagas, or Fishmen, he did not doubt their reality either.

On the contrary, he was extremely excited. In the knight novels, most Sirens possessed the beautiful upper human body of a woman and had melodious singing voices. The Smoke Mission referred to the Siren as a sprite of the sea, which clearly meant that a real Siren was a benevolent creature with extraordinary power.

“A Siren, they actually mean to reward me with a Siren. I wonder what it actually looks like… how beautiful it is, and whether it possesses reproductive organs like a human?”

He stroked his chin, his expression somewhat lecherous.

After pondering for quite some time, he was still unable to conceive what the creature might look like: “Probably not the normal structure of a human, considering the lower body is that of a sea serpent… Perhaps, it might be structured like a dolphin?” He had once heard stories about humans and dolphins in the news.

It is said that dolphins are one of the few animals that engage in acts of love, just like humans.

“Enough!”

Liszt stopped his lewd imaginings, preferring to believe that Sirens had no gender. The Smoke Mission used the term “sprite of the sea,” and sprites were thought to be creatures without gender.

He tried to order his chaotic thoughts.

Liszt summoned the Smoke Mission again; he hadn’t yet checked what the new mission was.

“Mission: As the new year begins, Ice Snow still blankets Fresh Flower Town, but new life is already being nurtured. The birth of the Female Tyrant Earth Hound is imminent. In order to foster future combat strength, please feed the Tyrant Earth Hound pups with Fresh Flower Town’s special cows’ milk until they open their eyes. Reward: Mutated Fierce Earth Dog.”

“Mutated Fierce Earth Dog?”

Liszt’s mind snapped back to normal: “Feed them with Dragon Breed Cow milk until they open their eyes? Does it mean that if I feed Douson and Earth Matron’s offspring with Dragon Breed Cow milk, they will mutate? And perhaps even evolve directly into an Intermediate Magical Beast like Douson himself?”

He held high hopes for the offspring of Earth Matron.

Now it seemed there was a substantial chance of nurturing these Tyrant Earth Hound pups into Intermediate Magical Beasts.

Thinking of an army of Intermediate Magical Beasts in the future, such a luxurious lineup—wouldn’t they just unleash a flurry of Rock Spikes, decimating even the Blueblood Knight Order of the Sapphire Duke?

At this thought, he couldn’t wait to set out and return to Fresh Flower Town to care for the soon-to-be-born Tyrant Earth Hound pups.

But he couldn’t just yet; there was a social dance in two days he needed to attend, arranged by Marquis Merlin. His aim was to find suitable marriage partners for the three siblings and cousin Rolie. Marquis Merlin was getting on in years, probably bored and had started to play the matchmaker.

Levis was indifferent; he still pursued the daughter of Marquis Roderick.

Li Vera was filled with anticipation, and Rolie was even more impatient. Before Liszt updated the mission, he also eagerly anticipated it—he wanted to see Asina Salmon again, the first girl in this world to express affection for him, leaving a deep impression on him.

But now, he just wanted these two days to be over quickly so he could hurry back home.

“I miss my Siren.”

…

“Paris, how many egg rolls did you actually bring? Why haven’t you finished them after so many days of eating?” After completing his Dou Qi practice in the downstairs garden, Liszt encountered Paris, who was idly wandering about.

This Black Dragon Childe was named his protector, but in reality, she had nothing to do in Long Taro Castle and spent her days aimlessly wandering.

Either she was forcibly dragged off by Li Vera for sparring and relationship building.

“There’s not much left, luckily. If I stay in Long Taro Castle any longer, I’ll starve,” she said.

“Are you sure you’re talking about starving to death?” Liszt’s gaze swept over her curvaceous figure, feeling it was much more voluptuous than before. “A polite suggestion, try to eat fewer snacks. You could get fat, which would greatly affect your performance.”

Being looked over by Liszt like this,

Paris suddenly felt a warm flush on her face, her eyes flickered away, and her tone became much softer: “Baron, do you prefer thinner girls?”

“Hm?”

Thinking to himself “trouble,” Liszt then seriously said, “No, I only like myself.” After saying this, he tugged at the ruffled collar of his Ruff, stepped forward with his long legs, and turned to enter Long Taro Castle.

Leaving Paris with her mouth open, not knowing what to say.

…

The ball began at five o’clock in the afternoon.

It was not yet time.

Many carriages were parked at the entrance, and young nobles were already arriving at Long Taro Castle one after another, with men and women dressed in splendid attire, showing off like peacocks.

Liszt was also transformed.

The tailored Flack·Abaie perfectly accentuated his temperament. The fabric of his attire had a red base with the pale gold Long Taro emblem of Long Taro Castle embroidered on it. This was a tradition among nobles, who would often embroider their family emblem on their clothes as decoration.

As the clothes belonged to Long Taro Castle, the Long Taro emblem was naturally embroidered.

Overall, he exuded an imposing aristocratic air.

The lavish attire combined with his tall stature, his mature and stable temperament, and his handsome face meant that wherever he stood, he was the inadvertent center of attention.

Just like now.

He stood by the window in the corridor, where a servant carrying drinks spotted him from afar and came over: “Master Liszt, would you like something to drink?”

“Thank you.”

Liszt took a glass of champagne.

Champagne, a type of wine, is most favored during celebrations. However, genuine champagne is hard to come by. According to the laws of the Duchy of Sapphire, only champagne brewed on Blue Dragon Island can be called real champagne; the rest can only be termed as wine.

The champagne from Blue Dragon Island had a very low production, reserved only for nobles of Earl rank and above.

Whether it tasted good or not, Liszt was unsure; he disliked drinking.

He swirled the golden champagne, took a light sip, and the faint sweetness mixed with the strong fruit aroma was refreshing. Yet, he had no interest in savoring it, his gaze directed towards the newly arriving carriages.