Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Sorrow Mixed with Longing and Resentment (First Update)
Liszt, after loading the Fresh Flower Vessel with cargo, set sail for Black Horse Island.

So far, the Fresh Flower Vessel had made more than ten trips between Coral Island and Black Horse Island without encountering a single storm, so the Calming Sea Pearl had never been used.

However, having the Calming Sea Pearl on board gave the crew plenty of confidence, and Liszt felt at ease.

“When I get back, I’ll ask Elkerson if he can make a Calming Sea Pearl… Never mind, I’ll just go to Granney. Granney has a lot of experience, and although his temper is a bit annoying, for the sake of the Calming Sea Pearl’s quality, it would be best to have him make it.” Liszt stood at the bow of the ship, scanning his surroundings.

He hoped to encounter his own Siren during the voyage.

Unfortunately, by the time the Fresh Flower Vessel reached the dock named Black Horse Port, there was still no sign of the Siren.

“What on earth is going on, has my Siren been swallowed up by the Smoke Mission?” He was no longer able to remain calm; casting aside those inexplicable fantasies about love and color, the intrinsic value of the Siren was absolutely immense.

With a Siren, a ship would definitely never lose its way at sea again.

After unloading the cargo, night had fallen, and it was too late to survey the waters around Black Horse Island; Liszt went straight to find King of Black Blood Treasure Horses Lightning. Lightning, seeing him, affectionately lowered its head and rubbed against his arm, not forgetting the master who had once conquered it, carrying Liszt as they sped through the snowflakes.

Black Horse Island was also covered with ice and snow, and in the grassland between the four hills, only the parts near the valleys seemed to have geothermal heat, with no snow accumulation, revealing the pastures that were still growing.

The Black Blood Treasured Horses were quietly grazing there.

Perhaps because they had seen so many people, they were no longer afraid of humans and acted as if they didn’t see them.

The burial ground between Needle Grass Hill and Ice Grass Hill was also covered with snow, but the pits and uneven ground where volcanic glass and Dragon Bone fragments had been excavated were faintly visible, as well as those five tall Fire Dragon Bones. These bones had not completely decayed and surely still held significant value.

Alas, Liszt could neither take them away nor preserve them, and could only let them be battered by the wind and rain.

“When the day comes that Black Horse Island can be fully revealed, I must invite a Magician to help me study these five Fire Dragon Bones… But first, I need to recruit a Magician follower; any secrets about the Fire Dragon Bones should be kept as confidential as possible.” One must always be cautious with any secrets relating to Dragons.

Never underestimate the people here and their great desire for Dragons.

Even he, a transmigrator, could not resist the allure of Dragons.

Marcus had already created a rough map of Black Horse Island’s topography, not being a professional cartographer, so the map was very simple, showing only the basic terrain. Ice Grass Hill, Needle Grass Hill, Sheep Grass Hill, and Alfalfa Hill formed a broken ring mountain range of a volcanic crater; inside were the grasslands and the Burial Ground, and outside were lands of rocks and weeds.

The dock and harbour town were located to the direct south of Black Horse Island.

Around the periphery of Black Horse Island, there were a few islets. In the southwestern waters, three small islands of several hundred acres each were scattered, which Liszt named respectively as Mangrove Island, Rocky Island, and Sandy Beach Island.

Because Mangrove Island was densely covered with mangrove forests; Rocky Island was full of weathered Basalt Columns; Sandy Beach Island was quite flat, all sand, with just a few scattered Fragrant Coconut Trees.

Beyond the three major small islands were scattered reefs, most of which were exposed during low tide and submerged during high tide.

“The Siren I’m looking for is probably between the shores of Black Horse Island and these islets.” Liszt looked at the rough map, contemplating.

So the next day, just as dawn began to break,

he led Captain Kostor and others to start sailing around Black Horse Island.

“Your Excellency, apart from Black Horse Port, in the northwest corner of Black Horse Island, there’s a body of water suitable for a dock. The water’s depth may not compare to Black Horse Port, but its breadth is very suitable for anchoring ships,” Captain Kostor said, directing the Fresh Flower Vessel while doubling as a guide.

Liszt nodded, “We will consider developing a new dock in the future, but for now, Black Horse Port is sufficient.”

Walking intermittently and visiting the islands along the way, it took a whole day to finally circle around Black Horse Island and check all the coastlines and surrounding reefs.

No Siren!

Resting at night in a newly constructed house in the port town, Liszt tossed and turned, unable to sleep, feeling frustrated and irritable, “Did I look in the wrong direction? Why is there no Siren? Where has my Siren gone!”

He didn’t sleep well all night.

But he didn’t get discouraged and continued to lead the Fresh Flower Vessel in search of the Siren in the waters around Black Horse Island. This time he searched in farther waters, starting with the three small islands distributed in a triangular pattern.

Because it was difficult to dock, they all took a wooden canoe to paddle ashore.

The Mangrove Island was densely wooded, with the kind of mangrove that could grow in seawater. Mangroves are a general term, much like how a thicket is not only thorns but also other small shrubs. The mangrove forest also contains many other types of plants, not just mangrove species.

The variety of tree species in the mangrove forest is numerous, and just the mangrove plants themselves have many varieties.

However, Liszt didn’t recognize any of them, and even the well-traveled Captain Kostor only knew a few, and those were more colloquial names, such as mangrove bark, autumn eggplant, sea lotus, and chicken claws, among others.

The mangrove forest, with its well-developed root system, seemed to grow in seawater, completely hiding the interior of the island.

Unable to land, Liszt then used the Eye of Magic, paddling the wooden canoe around. He didn’t detect any signs of magic power, there were neither Sirens nor Magic Potions and Elf Bugs in this stretch of mangrove forest.

Rocky Island was even more clear at a glance, there was nothing.

Lastly was Sandy Beach Island, where the entire island was covered in white sand. Stepping on the white sand after landing from the wooden canoe, he only felt that the view of the blue sea and the white sand, coupled with a few tall Fragrant Coconut Trees, was so beautiful, it seemed like a paradise on earth.

However, Liszt had no mood to appreciate the scenery. He made a round and left with a cold expression.

“My lord, do you wish to continue the search?” asked Captain Kostor, looking at Liszt’s expression with caution. Never before had the landlord, although always dignified and imposing yet very mild-mannered, shown such a chilling face.

“Search!”

Liszt pressed down his irritation and said gloomily, “If we don’t find it, we won’t go back. We will continue searching at night!” Perhaps they couldn’t find the Siren during the day because it liked to hide during the day and come out at night.

Indeed.

They found nothing during the day. The Fresh Flower Vessel went to the dock to replenish some lights and other supplies and continued to search at sea. The weather cleared that night, and a bright moon rose from the sea, driving away the darkness and casting broken beams of light dancing with the waves.

Liszt stood at the bow of the ship, not feeling the slightest bit sleepy.

As he passed by islands and reefs, he used the Eye of Magic to observe the magical traces around the islands and reefs, attempting to find the existence of the Siren. The first half of the night passed in a flash, and the moon of the late night was about to set.

As he was about to give up, agitated by the fruitless search, Liszt’s ears twitched.

A barely audible song reached his ears. When he perked up and listened carefully, he could no longer hear it, as if it was a mere illusion. But he didn’t believe it was only that, because the faint song was filled with longing and grief, with sadness and lament; just hearing it once stirred sadness in his heart.

This was no ordinary illusion.

He took a deep breath, struggling not to shout out loud for fear of startling the singer, “It’s my Siren!”