The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Chapter 232: Throughout His Life, Zhuge Liang Was Known for His Caution (Fifth update, Alliance Hierarch additional update 22/22)
Steel Ridge Kingdom, one of the three major kingdoms in the Northern Continent, is neighbored by the Blast Furnace Fortress Kingdom and the Eagle Kingdom.

Below it are seven vassal states: the Grand Duchies of Sapphire, Maple, Rose, and Brass, as well as the Duchies of Light Sapphire, Starry, and Honeysuckle. Strictly speaking, the Grand Duchies of Sapphire and Rose should be downgraded to duchies, as the nation possesses dragons but no dragon knights.

“Duke Honeysuckle had no choice but to move three times a year because he simply couldn’t stand the nobles who carelessly relieved themselves in the palace, which made even walking an exercise in caution. There was even a knight who took care of his business on the stool in his study, and Duke Honeysuckle, unaware, sat right on it.”

“How did Duke Honeysuckle punish the knight in the end?”

“He chose to take a dump inside the knight’s helmet.”

“Haha, what a creative punishment!”

“Haha!”

Laughter flowed from the study where Liszt and Zambrotta chatted; unbeknownst to them, over three hours had passed. Zambrotta always had an endless supply of little bits of gossip to share, keeping Liszt’s interest fully engaged.

Especially those court secrets.

These were likely the stories of minor nobles that Zambrotta heard during his travels, equivalent to unofficial histories. When he toured the Steel Ridge Kingdom, he was merely a quasi-noble and had no chance to meet any important figures from the courts of various countries, not to mention those small nobles of landlord stature.

However, these unofficial histories were somewhat more serious compared to a knight’s novel.

At least they contained substance—whether their stories were true or not, the people within them existed. In contrast, knight novels not only had stories difficult to discern as true or false, the characters were also fictional.

When Butler Carter knocked on the door to ask about the dinner arrangements, Liszt was brought back from the pleasant conversation, “Invite all the officials of the town to dinner tonight, let’s welcome Mr. Zambrotta’s arrival.” He had already decided to keep Zambrotta around for those interesting anecdotes.

Without a doubt, these anecdotes held significant reference value for Liszt in his compilation of the annals for “Dragons Fight in the Wild.”

“Thank you for your generosity,” Zambrotta said with a polite bow of thanks.

He had realized that he had won the favor of the Baron of Fresh Flower Town, whose reputation had been rising lately, achieving his goal of making a comeback in Fresh Flower Town. Ever since being stripped of his noble title by the Earl, his life had fallen into disarray; even his son and daughter had begun to disdain him, which had been hard to swallow.

Now, though still a freeman without a title, once he followed Liszt, who was destined for greatness, who could guarantee that he wouldn’t return to the noble class?

At the evening banquet that day, Liszt introduced Zambrotta with great fanfare to the town officials.

Isaiah, Blair, and Marcus were all familiar with Zambrotta, as he had been the family tutor of Lidun, often visiting Tulip Castle. His knowledge and abilities were not in question—the issue was his attitude, as he had indulged Lidun in beating a commoner, which infuriated the Earl.

But that was not a matter of principle; it was perfectly normal for a noble to beat a commoner.

Not all nobles were like Liszt, harboring a belief in equality for all deep within their hearts. To the people of this world, categorizing others into levels was the norm.

Therefore, people still welcomed Zambrotta with open arms, although whether Isaiah and Blair felt any sense of crisis was another matter.

After the banquet, Liszt continued to discuss amusing matters with Zambrotta for nearly an hour.

It was with reluctance that he finally let him go, saying clearly, “I understand your intentions. Don’t worry about your position in Fresh Flower Town for now. I have received news that my father will return before the festival, and after the festival, I will arrange your employment.”

Zambrotta nodded, understanding the subtext in Liszt’s words: “I will follow your arrangements, Baron.”

“`

“You can either head back home and wait for news, or you can settle down in Fresh Flower Town for the time being. When you have free time, we can continue to exchange interesting stories about the various kingdoms, as I am very interested in such information.”

“My wife has passed away, and my children are all settled down, so there is no need for me to return home. If possible, I plan to stay in Fresh Flower Town for a while.”

“I will have Goltai arrange accommodation for you.”

…

The Earl returned faster than Liszt had expected, a few days earlier.

On December 20th, he brought the Knight Order back to Coral Island, with ships loaded with supplies piled up on the docks, all spoils of war.

Of course, while the Knight Order had set off complete, they returned with many knights missing.

They had probably been left behind forever in the Eagle Kingdom.

After a knight from the Tulip Castle came to Fresh Flower Town with the news, Liszt decided to head to Tulip Castle the next day to attend the victory celebration banquet.

“Mr. Carter, make the gifts for my father and brother sumptuous, as lavish as you can prepare. I am counting on getting a little extra share of the spoils from my father, especially iron. The lack of iron is driving me insane!”

Although the Bone Craftsman Shop had opened, and the whole family of Blaice Bone had been working day and night to make bone utensils, iron was still a critical resource.

The iron used to make the water heaters and the air conditioning covers was all melted down from other ironware.

By now, Fresh Flower Town has gradually accumulated items of worth to offer—Fresh Flower Soap is a fine gift; high-quality seafood is a precious present; refined bread, peanuts, and other foodstuffs are suitable tokens of appreciation; Liszt also intended to gift a telescope to both the Earl and Levis.

The military value of the telescope is significant, and Liszt believed that upon seeing the telescope, the Earl would surely reward him with plenty of good things.

The plan was to keep the telescope a secret for the time being, not for public knowledge.

But as he continuously integrated into the noble system and the Tulip Family, and reaped the benefits that came with it, his mindset had changed—protecting and strengthening the family was the best way to shield himself, even if it meant earning his stripes on the battlefield, leading an army, and becoming the Viscount Black Horse Island.

The Tulip Family would still be his strong support.

If the Earl should further his station with martial achievements, even being named a Marquis, then Liszt would rise with the tide, his status greatly enhanced—by that time, he would be the son and grandson of a Marquis, doubly noble by blood, and if he entered the battlefield, he would not fear the lack of opportunities to earn honors.

Thus, at this very moment, Liszt earnestly hoped for the Tulip Family to grow and thrive.

At least until he could ride dragons, family protection would allow him to develop securely, without worry that an invention might be seized by greater nobles.

Paper, glass, cement—if not for concerns he had, he would have already commenced research.

Such technology might not usher in a new era, but it would absolutely enable a family to grow rapidly. However, if a weak family came to possess it, it might not be a blessing, as it could lead to doom at the hands of pirates.

The tragedy of Little Papa Island constantly reminded Liszt that being a noble also carried risks.

For this reason, Liszt played his part modestly within his own domain.

“Zhuge Liang was cautious all his life… One day I should write this down as a calligraphy piece, hang it above my bed, and reflect on it every night before sleep.”

“`