Because of the Violent Earth Dog, Marcus decided to delay their departure by a day.
While resting, he told Liszt a few things to keep in mind when raising magical beasts.
"Magical beasts are dangerous, even if they can be tamed. They have no sense of right or wrong, and their tempers are unpredictable. Once they become adept at using magic, they may well hurt someone without meaning to. So if you want to raise a Violent Earth Dog puppy, Baron, you'll need to guide and train it actively."
"Like the hunting dogs raised at Tulip Castle?"
"Exactly. You need to train it to obey from a young age, so it follows your commands. You'll also need to keep using up its magic, letting it vent that magic during training. That way, it won't cast spells and hurt anyone in its daily life. The Violent Earth Dog's Rock Spike is a very deadly spell."
"How long will it take before it can cast magic?"
"I'm not sure, but magical beasts are generally weak at magic before they reach adulthood. A Violent Earth Dog probably reaches adulthood at about a year and a half, which means you have a year and a half to tame it."
"Good. I'll make this part of my cultivation routine and train it consistently."
Marcus was clearly in a good mood. After explaining what to keep in mind, he even offered a rare compliment. "Peanut Bugs, potions, magical beasts—the Baron is going to amaze everyone on Coral Island."
Liszt smiled.
The best was yet to come.
He asked, "What should I do with the female Violent Earth Dog's corpse?"
"You might want to ask Lord Gortai. He once managed the trade market for the Earl, so he knows the value of magical beasts better than anyone."
"Mr. Carter, please invite Teacher Gortai."
"As you wish, my lord."
Gortai hurried over. When he saw the Violent Earth Dog's corpse, he cried out, "Wow, what am I looking at? Is this the King of Thorn Ridge, the Violent Earth Dog? Good heavens, it's a low-level magical beast, but it gives off an aura as terrifying as a mid-level one. Marcus, I have to admit, you're one of the finest knights on Coral Island."
The most powerful knight on Coral Island was undoubtedly Liszt's father, the Sky Knight, Earl Li William Tulip. He was also the only powerful knight with Advanced Battle Qi.
The rest were all Earth Knights.
As for the magical beasts on Coral Island, it seemed there was only one mid-level magical beast, the Purple Sand Crocodile, in the shallows in the south. The magical beasts in the other mountain ranges were all low-level. Thorn Ridge had only low-level magical beasts as well, and the Violent Earth Dog was the strongest among them.
"Teacher Gortai, what should I do with this magical beast?" Liszt asked.
Gortai prodded the corpse with his cane. The Violent Earth Dog was about the size of a calf, and its blood had already dried all over its body. It looked utterly mangled. "The pelt's ruined. Otherwise, a Violent Earth Dog's pelt would be the most valuable part. It would fetch at least twenty Narda."
Narda was the name of the gold coin used in the Sapphire Grand Duchy. The first Grand Duke Sapphire had named it in memory of his father.
"It should still be worth a few gold coins, shouldn't it?"
"It can only be sold as scraps of hide. I suspect some unscrupulous merchant might offer five Narda, or an honest one might offer ten."
Gortai continued his assessment. "I'd say it has about six hundred pounds of meat. Magical beast meat usually sells for one silver coin per pound at the market, but Violent Earth Dog meat should fetch two silver coins per pound—twelve Narda. Still, Liszt, you should keep it and eat it yourself. You need to stabilize your Battle Qi."
"Mr. Gortai is right. Selling the meat wouldn't be worthwhile. The castle already has to buy meat from outside." Carter chimed in. As Liszt's trusted steward, he was allowed to join this discussion.
"Besides the pelt and meat, all that's left is the bones and organs. Magical beast organs can be sold to those mages who keep themselves hidden. I know where to find some. They're always buying magical beast organs and all sorts of strange plants. It's hard to say how many Narda they'll pay. As for the bones, they're excellent for making soup."
At this, Gortai chuckled. "Too bad it's a female dog. If it were male, wow, that would be a real tonic."
The difference between a male and a female dog was whether it had a penis.
Liszt said, "Then we'll skin the Violent Earth Dog, tan the hide, and sell it when we get the chance. We'll clean and pickle the organs too. Teacher Gortai, are there any mages on Coral Island?"
"I don't think so."
"Then we'll keep the organs at the castle and eat them ourselves too."
"Haha, then we'll all get to enjoy a feast. Praise the generous Baron Liszt!"
Night fell.
A small barbecue party was held at the castle.
The servants, the Retainer Knights, Liszt as their host, and his two teachers ate delicious barbecue and chatted about pleasant things.
Liszt wasn't particularly fond of such lively gatherings. Deep down, he was a quiet person.
But that was just how life at a castle was. Most castles were gloomy, and living in one for too long could become oppressive. People needed a chance to let off steam, and a party was the perfect occasion.
After eating and drinking their fill.
The servants cleared away the scattered cutlery, dishes, and wine glasses. Liszt went upstairs, heading straight for the recreation room that had been left unused. It had been turned into a nest for the Violent Earth Dog puppy. The little pup would stay here until it opened its eyes, to make sure the first person it saw was Liszt.
So Liszt had to feed and bathe it himself.
The puppy shivered, so Liszt named it "Dousen."
"Hello, Dousen. Time for milk." Liszt held a cowhide pouch filled with milk to Dousen's mouth. The opening had been specially cut to resemble a teat.
At the smell of milk, its desire to drink overcame its fear of the unfamiliar scent. Dousen quickly crawled over and felt around until it latched onto the opening. Then it gulped down the milk.
It might have been only the size of a teddy dog, but its appetite was every bit as impressive as a magical beast's. It wolfed the milk down.
In the blink of an eye, Dousen had drained the pouch.
And with that pouch of milk,
Dousen grew accustomed to Liszt's scent. Now Liszt could stroke its fur. Dousen not only didn't shy away, but nuzzled into his palm, acting affectionate. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought Liszt had simply raised a mutt, rather than the King of Thorn Ridge, the magical beast Violent Earth Dog.
"When will you open your eyes?"
As if it had heard Liszt speak, Dousen let out a soft "woof."
Liszt drifted off for a moment. A puff of Smoke appeared before him again, rapidly shifting into a line of text: "Quest completed. Reward: Violent Earth Dog puppy."
"Just as I thought. Dousen is the reward. I've figured out how Smoke Missions work."
As he thought, the Smoke Serpent Script before his eyes changed.
"Mission: As an Earth Knight, you must shoulder the heavy responsibility of charging into battle on horseback. Train with the Intermediate Battle Qi Manual and become a true knight worthy of battle. Reward: One Dragon-Blood Horse with a meager bloodline."
"A Dragon-Blood Horse?" Liszt's eyes lit up.