Dousen and the Dragon-Blood Horse

Because of the Violent Earth Dog, Marcus decided to postpone their departure by one day.

While resting, he took the opportunity to tell Liszt about some precautions for raising a Magic Beast.

"Magic Beasts, even if they can be tamed, are inherently dangerous. They lack any concept of right or wrong, and their temperaments are volatile. Once they learn to wield magic, they might accidentally injure someone. Therefore, if you, My Lord Baron, wish to raise a Violent Earth Dog cub, you must provide active guidance and training."

"Just like the pack of hunting dogs raised at Tulip Castle?"

"Yes, you must train its obedience from a young age, make it follow your commands, and constantly exhaust its magic so that it vents that energy during training. That way, it won't accidentally cast spells and hurt people in daily life. The Rock Spike of a Violent Earth Dog is a very lethal spell."

"About how long until it can cast magic?"

"I am not entirely sure, but generally, a Magic Beast's magic is very weak before it reaches adulthood. A Violent Earth Dog reaches maturity in about a year and a half, which means you have a year and a half to tame it."

"Very well, I will treat this as a course of study and train it with perseverance."

Marcus was clearly in a good mood. After explaining the precautions, he offered a rare compliment: "Peanut Bugs, potions, Magic Beasts—My Lord Baron will make everyone on Coral Island sit up and take notice."

Liszt smiled.

The surprises were yet to come.

He asked, "How should I handle the carcass of the mother Violent Earth Dog?"

"Perhaps you should ask Lord Gortai. He used to manage the trading market for the Count, so he knows the value of Magic Beasts better than anyone."

"Mr. Carter, please invite Master Gortai for me."

"As you wish, My Lord."

Gortai hurried over. Upon seeing the carcass of the Violent Earth Dog, he exclaimed loudly, "Whoa, what do I see? Is this the king of Thorn Ridge, the Violent Earth Dog? Heavens, it is a low-level Magic Beast, but I feel a terrifying aura from it that rivals a middle-level Magic Beast. Marcus, I must admit, you are one of the top knights on Coral Island."

The most powerful knight on Coral Island was undoubtedly Liszt's father, the Sky Knight, the Count of Coral Island, William Tulip, who was also the only powerful knight possessing high-level battle qi.

The rest were all Earth Knights.

As for the Magic Beasts on Coral Island, it seemed there was only one middle-level Magic Beast in the shallow waters of the south—the Purple Sand Crocodile. The beasts in the other mountain ranges were all low-level. Thorn Ridge only had low-level beasts, and the Violent Earth Dog was the most powerful type of low-level beast in that area.

"Master Gortai, how should this Magic Beast be handled?" Liszt asked.

Gortai poked the carcass with his cane. The Violent Earth Dog, the size of a calf, was covered in dried blood and looked a sorry sight. "The fur is ruined; otherwise, the fur of a Violent Earth Dog is the most precious part, worth at least twenty Narda."

Narda was the name of the gold coins in the Sapphire Grand Duchy, named by the first Grand Duke of Sapphire to commemorate his father.

"Should it still be worth a few gold coins?"

"It can only be sold as scrap fur. I suspect a crooked merchant might be willing to pay five Narda, or a merchant with a conscience might offer ten."

Gortai continued his analysis, "As for its meat, I estimate there are six hundred pounds. Magic Beast meat usually sells for one silver coin per pound on the market, so Violent Earth Dog meat should fetch two silver coins per pound, totaling twelve Narda. However, Liszt, you should keep it to eat yourself; you need to stabilize your battle qi right now."

"Mr. Gortai is quite right. Selling the meat isn't cost-effective, and the castle needs to buy meat from outside anyway," Carter interjected. As the trusted steward, he was allowed to participate in such discussions.

"Aside from the fur and meat, the rest is bones and organs. The organs of a Magic Beast can be sold to those secretive mages. I know where to find mages; they are always fond of buying Magic Beast organs and all sorts of mysterious flowers and herbs. It's hard to say how many Narda that would bring. As for the bones, they are excellent for making soup."

At this point, Gortai chuckled, "It's a pity it's a female. If it were a male, oh, that would be a potent tonic."

The difference between a male and a female dog lay in whether it possessed the "whip."

Liszt said, "Then skin the Violent Earth Dog, tan the hide, and find a time to sell it. Clean the organs and salt them. Master Gortai, are there any mages on Coral Island?"

"It seems there are none."

"Then we'll keep the organs at the castle to eat ourselves."

"Haha, then we shall all have a treat! Praise the generous Baron Liszt!"

Night fell.

A small barbecue party was held in the castle.

The servants, the squire knights, and Liszt, acting as the host, along with his two teachers, ate delicious roasted meat and chatted about pleasant things.

Liszt did not actually enjoy such lively scenes; he was a quiet person at heart.

However, life in the castle was just like this. Most castles were gloomy, and living in them for a long time could be stifling, so one needed to find opportunities to vent, and parties were the best chance for that.

After eating and drinking their fill.

The servants cleared away the messy cutlery, tableware, and wine glasses, while Liszt went upstairs, heading straight for the previously unused recreation room. The room had been converted into a den for the Violent Earth Dog cub. The little puppy was kept here until it opened its eyes, ensuring that the first person it saw was Liszt.

Therefore, feeding and bathing had to be done by Liszt himself.

The little puppy was shivering, so Liszt gave it the name "Dousen."

"Hello, Dousen, time to eat." Liszt held a cowhide bag filled with milk to Dousen's mouth. The opening of the bag had been specially cut to make it easier for the cub.

Smelling the milk, the desire to eat overcame its fear of the strange scent. Dousen crawled over quickly, fumbled to latch onto the opening, and began to gulp it down.

Don't let its size—no bigger than a Teddy dog—fool you; its eating vigor was truly that of a Magic Beast, devouring the milk ravenously.

In the blink of an eye, the bag of milk was finished by Dousen.

And thanks to this bag of milk.

Dousen became familiar with Liszt's scent. Now, Liszt could stroke its fur, and Dousen not only didn't shy away but even nuzzled into his palm, showing affection. Anyone who didn't know better would truly think Liszt was just raising a common dog, rather than the king of Thorn Ridge, the Magic Beast known as the Violent Earth Dog.

"When will you open your eyes?"

As if it had heard Liszt speak, Dousen let out a faint "woof" from its mouth.

Liszt was slightly dazed as a plume of smoke appeared before his eyes once more, rapidly shifting into a string of text: "Mission completed, reward: Violent Earth Dog cub."

As expected, Dousen was the reward. I have already figured out the trigger mechanism for the smoke missions.

As he pondered, the Smoke Serpent Script before his eyes had already changed.

"Mission: As an Earth Knight, you must shoulder the heavy responsibility of charging on horseback. Please cultivate the Intermediate Battle Qi Manual to become a true knight capable of battle. Reward: A Dragon-Blood Horse with a trace of noble lineage."

"A Dragon-Blood Horse?" Liszt's eyes lit up.