A set of Battle Qi circulation methods explained how to refine, strengthen, condense, release, and channel Battle Qi. A set of combat techniques contained sixteen moves.
Five footwork techniques: Dragon Charge, Dragon Leap, Dragon Jump, Dragon Flight, and Dragon Dive.
Five basic moves: Fire Dragon Stab, Fire Dragon Ram, Fire Dragon Smash, Fire Dragon Twist, and Fire Dragon Drill.
Five powerful moves: Fire Dragon Tail Whip, Fire Dragon Sweep, Fire Dragon Gale, Fire Dragon Roll, and Fire Dragon Assault.
One ultimate technique: Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill.
That was everything in the Fire Dragon Drill. The moves all had rather interesting names, as if they belonged to the same series as his Fire Dragon Horse mount.
At that moment,
Liszt was riding on the back of his Fire Dragon Horse. As it galloped, his body rose and fell slightly, bringing horse and rider almost to the point of becoming one. In his left hand, he held a steel shield in front of him, which also partly covered the Fire Dragon Horse. His right hand held a knight's lance, more than three meters long, level with the ground.
The weeds on the wasteland near the castle had been cut, exposing yellow earth—barren, yellow soil.
The Fire Dragon Horse's hooves struck the still-damp ground, leaving prints of varying depths. Its body became a red ball of fire as it raced into the distance. Battle Qi streamed from Liszt, clinging to his shield and lance, as well as to the Fire Dragon Horse.
Before long, horse and rider were completely engulfed in flames.
With a mighty shout, Liszt cried, "Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill!"
The Fire Dragon Horse leaped high as the knight's lance thrust forward with terrifying speed. In an instant, countless phantom images of horse and rider moving as one flashed along with the attack, which slammed straight into a massive boulder ahead.
A devastating strike!
Boom!
The boulder, as tall as a man, exploded into tiny fragments. Flames shot in every direction, and the shards rained down with them. When the dust settled, Liszt, still mounted on the Fire Dragon Horse, had already emerged from the blast radius. He was encased in full plate armor, and the Fire Dragon Horse wore a full set as well.
The silver-white armor was covered in scratches and black smudges.
Pushing up his visor, Liszt revealed his handsome face. A faint smile played on his lips, as usual. "Not bad. If this move lands, it should leave a Violent Earth Dog half-dead."
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.
Hoofbeats approached from a distance. Marcus and Gortai rode over, each on his own horse, followed by Liszt's four Retainer Knights.
"Oh, my heavens, Liszt, you're a genius! I saw it! Was that the ultimate technique of the Fire Dragon Drill, Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill? You learned the entire manual in less than a week?" Gortai always spoke with amazement.
Marcus circled the scattered rubble, equally astonished. "The impact was evenly distributed. Not one fragment is bigger than a fist. That proves you've mastered the move. Even most Earth Knights would struggle to do that."
He finished speaking and looked Liszt up and down, unable to believe his eyes.
In the past, the third son of the count's family had been a complete wastrel. He'd had plenty of chicken, fish, meat, eggs, and milk to eat, and had even tried magical beast meat, yet his Battle Qi cultivation had been worse than that of a commoner knight. Who could have imagined that after becoming an Earth Knight, he would master an entire Intermediate Battle Qi Manual in less than a week?
It reminded Marcus of how he'd spent a full month and a half mastering the ultimate technique of Wind-Breaking Strike.
His heart was a jumble. Could this be the real difference between commoners and nobles?
Liszt handed his shield and knight's lance to a Retainer Knight, then took off his helmet as well. Breathing in the fresh air, he was still buzzing with excitement. "I thought mastering the Fire Dragon Drill would take me several months, but it wasn't that difficult. Looks like I can make time to learn Flame Wave, too. You can never know too many skills."
"With talent like yours, of course you should learn a few more manuals. Liszt, I've always said you have your father's bearing. One day, you'll bring great glory to the Tulip Family."
"I'll take your word for it, Teacher Gortai."
On the way back, Gortai and Liszt chatted animatedly, which was one of Gortai's strengths. Marcus, meanwhile, seemed lost in thought.
It wasn't until they had returned to the castle for dinner, finished his portion in a daze, and been seen out by Liszt that he came back to himself.
After Gortai rode away, humming a little tune,
Marcus looked at Liszt, who still stood by the castle gate as if waiting for him to speak. His tone was solemn. "Baron, may I ask where you intend to set your sights?"
"Where I intend to set my sights..."
Liszt thought to himself that Marcus was asking whether he had the ambition to distinguish himself. Marcus, who aspired to become a noble, would naturally not be content to languish in a rural town, following a Baron with no grand ambitions.
But Liszt didn't answer directly. "Teacher Marcus, don't listen to what someone says. Look at what he does. Words can be true or false, but deeds are plain for all to see, aren't they?"
"I understand!"
Marcus suddenly dropped to one knee, his right hand over his chest, and made an oath of loyalty. "I will gladly serve at your side!"
"Please rise, Teacher Marcus. The territory is still weak, and I need your help building it up." Liszt calmly helped Marcus to his feet, feeling a deep sense of accomplishment. Winning the loyalty of an Earth Knight—that was personal charisma.
Back in the castle,
he took a bath.
Then he saw the Smoke Serpent Script again: "Quest completed. Reward: one Dragon-Blood Horse with a thin bloodline."
A moment later, the Smoke twisted, and a new quest appeared: "Quest: Fresh, tender alfalfa is loved not only by cows, but by horses as well. It is the foundation of establishing a horse ranch, and the first step toward building a legacy. Please find Bug Grass for the Alfalfa Bug. Reward: three stalks of Wild Corn."
After reading the Snake Script, Liszt was thrilled.
The Dragon-Blood Horse had arrived, but he didn't know where it was or who had found it. He planned to go looking first thing the next morning. But what excited him now wasn't the Dragon-Blood Horse—it was the corn promised as the new quest's reward.
There was no such crop as corn in this world. At least, there was absolutely none on Coral Island, and his predecessor's memories contained no mention of any plant resembling corn.
"Corn! It's a high-yield crop. Isn't it supposed to have the highest yield per acre in the world? And it hardly needs any tending; you just plant it and let it grow. I heard it's a god-given crop, a natural C4 plant that's easy to detassel. In the future, corn will rule the world's grain supply. In Interstellar, humanity was on the brink of extinction, and all they grew was corn."
Liszt had grown crops as a child and knew corn yielded a great deal, even if it didn't taste as good as wheat or rice.
But here, it didn't have to taste particularly good. As long as it could fill people's stomachs, it was the best crop there was. Wheat in Flower Town yielded only one or two hundred pounds per acre. Once they planted corn, they wouldn't need yields of several thousand pounds. Anything over five hundred pounds per acre would support more people and give them enough to eat and wear.
When that day came,
they could grow corn widely to provide commoners with coarse cornmeal, and plant a little wheat to make fine flour for himself. Wouldn't that be a delight?