Chapter 8

A tsunami seemed to be rising inside his body, unleashing boiling power. The preliminary combat aura had all been absorbed by the cells.

It evolved inside the cells. By the time it returned from the cells, the combat aura had entirely changed.

The newborn combat aura had become intermediate combat aura with special qualities. Liszt stood in silence in the garden, trying to hold back his excitement. The mission was real, and the reward had been given to him.

He had turned into a real earth knight!

For combat aura training, it was a new starting point. Earth knights represented real supernatural power.

Is the nature of my combat aura fire? It’s against the nature of Thousand Waves. I need to prepare a new tutorial… I thought that I would have water-natured combat aura like the rest of my family. Liszt was not entirely satisfied.

Water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, ice, light, darkness, as well as metal represented by dragons and wood represented by elves, were all natures of magic power.

None of them was better than others. However, the Tulips had been studying combat aura of the water nature before they held the title of earl. Thousand Waves, the family art, was also a state-of-the-art guide on water-natured combat aura, which made it easier for future generations to cultivate.

Liszt, however, was not suitable for Thousand Waves. If he were to practice it, the efficiency would be very low.

Fire-natured combat aura was naturally suitable for fire-natured techniques.

Mr. Marcus has wind qualities. He’s not the same as me, either. Let me see… I saw a Furious Fire when I was in the knights’ academy. I’ll ask Mr. Marcus to fetch it for me in a couple of days.

He needed to stabilize his intermediate combat aura after this advancement first, so he was not in a hurry to pick up techniques.

Actually, Liszt was not eager to improve his strength. While nobles were expected to go to the battlefield, there were few wars on Coral Island that was far from the continent. Few people came to ask for trouble. So, he could develop in peace.

Besides, however strong he grew to be, he would be buried in a grave a hundred years later.

He would rather be a lord who enjoyed the service of his servants and had his subordinates fight for him.

Of course, it is still thrilling to become an earth knight. My resistance to sickness, cold, and heat has significantly increased! What can be more delightful than a long, healthy life?

Taking a long breath, Liszt calmed down and returned to the castle.

His valet ran over, looking for more things to do. “My lord, you’ve finished your training again. Should I prepare another bath for you?”

“Would it be too troublesome?”

“Not at all. It’s our honor to serve you.”

“Fine. Prepare another bath.”

…

At dinner, Marcus and Goltai arrived at his invitation.

“Liszt, you look well. It seems that you’ve completely healed. It’s worth a toast.” Goltai sniffed the wine. He was an alcoholic.

It was also a common addiction among the nobles.

Marcus, however, blinked. “Lord Baron, have you… made a breakthrough?”

“An hour ago, I had inspiration and made new progress in my training,” Liszt said humbly. After all, turning into an earth knight after sixteen was not something to be proud of.

“Congratulations, my lord!” Marcus said solemnly in a different tone. He obviously treated his liege with more respect now.

Goltai simply exclaimed, “Wow, that’s great news! No wonder birds were chirping on my way here! Liszt, you are truly the earl’s son. You have the excellent bloodline of the Tulip family! You will have power!”

“I’m not as talented as my brother and sister, so I must work harder.”

“Your line of thinking proves your excellence. Not all the celebrities in history distinguished themselves when they were young. It’s the creed of knights to make continuous progress. I see that in you.”

“Thank you for your compliment, Mr. Goltai.”

“That’s why we have to celebrate tonight.” Goltai chuckled and turned to Carter. “Mr. Carter, to celebrate Liszt’s advancement, shouldn’t you bring out the best wine in your cellar for us to enjoy this glorious moment?”

Carter smiled. “I thought the same, Mr. Goltai.”

But he did not move. It was up to the master of the castle whether or not to have the wine.

Instead of being a bummer, Liszt nodded. “Mr. Carter, please bring a bottle of New Moon. Also, prepare a pudding for everyone in the house.”

“As you wish, my lord.” Carter left for the wine cellar downstairs.

When he passed by the kitchen, he said, “Mrs. Abby, his lordship has offered a pudding for everyone’s dinner.”

Abby Spoon was a plump woman. She cried, “Cream pudding? Oh, his lordship is too generous. He doesn’t have to do that! Besides, we don’t have much cream left.”

Allyn, the kitchen maid, was mopping. She raised her head hopefully. “Mr. Carter, could I have a pudding, too?”

“Of course, we all need to celebrate today. His lordship has become an earth knight!”

“Oh, his lordship is so great!” Allyn complimented and shouted, “Allyn, why are you not moving? Finish mopping the floor and move the cream from the storage room! You will have pudding that is otherwise only saved for festivals!”

“Got it, Mrs. Abby. Praise the lord!”

…

New Moon was a special wine of Coral Island that was made of the grapes from the first month of autumn.

Tulip Castle had a grape elf that grew grapes for wine. The grapes did not taste good, but the wine brewed with them was the best drink. Even the royal family purchased the wine every year.

Liszt brought a box of them when he left Tulip Castle.

“The time-tested New Moon is like an old tale emerging from the past. It tells you what beauty and flavor are without saying anything.” Goltai shook the cup and observed the red liquid like an emotional poet.

Liszt had a sip of it.

To be honest, he was never fond of wine or any other drinks, but his body, with the legacy of his former self, had a good taste of different wines.

Therefore, he had some wine now and then.

After all, they were not strong and could hardly intoxicate him.

“Right, Mr. Goltai, did something happen to the peanuts in Peanuton?” He suddenly recalled his new mission, and he craved for the new reward.

“Well, that’s right. Probably because of the bad weather, Peanuton will have nothing to harvest this year. I had someone check it. The crops have withered and probably will die in a couple of days… Those poor serfs will be starved before winter.” Goltai showed no sympathy on his face although he said that they were pitiful.

Putting down the cup, Liszt said, not to be refused, “Inspect Peanuton with me tomorrow. We’ll work something out to solve the crisis there.”