Chapter 343: Chapter 340: Establishment of the Knight Squad (Third Update, Alliance Hierarch’s Additional Update 7/18)
 

Using drugs, practicing combat skills, honing archery, and engaging in live combat training with Paris; training dogs, playing the piano, patrolling the territory; communicating with sea serpents, teasing the Mangrove Minor Elf Nami, writing back to the nobles of the island to decline banquet invitations; hosting dinners, listening to flattery, consuming a lot of food, watching Jela create chaos at the banquet.

Gallop on horseback, cruise by boat, moving back and forth between Fresh Flower Town and Black Horse Island.

The life in May started off quietly uneventful, but Liszt didn’t feel the monotony. Although there was no TV, computer, or cellphone, each day here was fulfilling. From morning till night, as long as he wanted to do something, there would be a pile of things waiting for him.

Like right now.

Hiding in the castle’s garden, watering a single pot of Serpent Blood Tree Plant Pot with the blood of an Intermediate Sea Monster. After more than a week of continuous effort, still no magic feedback whatsoever. In fact, the initial few attempts of using serpent blood for cultivation, if unsuccessful in breeding Elf Bugs, were just a waste of effort.

He decided not to waste serpent blood any longer and instead focused on the Smoke Mission.

After receiving the reward of Dragon Breed Cows, the Smoke Mission had updated, but this was not an easy task, and completing it was quite difficult.

“Mission: As an Elite Earth Knight, owning an Intermediate Magical Beast pet, capable of hunting even Intermediate Sea Monsters, apart from the lack of followers, what else could stop you from going to the battlefield to earn military achievements? Please form a Knight Squad composed of Earth Knights. Reward: A new breed of Dragon Hollyhock.”

The reward is a new breed of Dragon Hollyhock.

This excited Liszt greatly, as it most likely meant the reward would be the Magic Potion Dragon Hollyhock.

Now was his peak time for using drugs, relying on Flame Mushrooms, Rapid Growth Magic Thorns, the intercepted Black Tulips, and the briefly cultivated Ice Snow Flame Mushrooms during winter, he could barely meet his drug needs. But he would never complain about having too many magic potions.

So forming a Knight Squad was a must.

And it had to be soon; he didn’t want to procrastinate and delay the new Smoke Mission.

“There are six members now, and I need to recruit six more to form a twelve-man Knight Squad. As for me, I definitely don’t count among the Knight Squad,” Liszt was clear in his mind that with Douson, he wasn’t suitable to charge with the knights; he was more fit for commanding from behind the scenes.

He picked up the crystal teacup from the apple table and blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface, leisurely taking a sip.

This was the new tea just harvested this month; the three Green Tea Trees were far more productive than expected, with almost two or three harvests of new tea every month after diligent fertilization.

This allowed Liszt to drink tea generously to cut through the greasiness, enabling him to eat more Magical Beast Meat.

In terms of luxury, he had definitely far surpassed Levis, who had Tulip Castle to rely on. Levis, at most, ate meat from the Magical Beast Fire Rabbits raised by Tulip Castle every day, while he dined on Intermediate Sea Monsters— even the Earl, who had just returned from the meeting in Blue Dragon Island and successfully promoted the Fresh Flower Brew, sent envious letters.

The Earl hoped to taste the serpent stew, and after much consideration, Liszt somewhat painfully cut five pounds of serpent meat and sent it to Tulip Castle.

Those five pounds of snake meat were probably enough for one dinner at Tulip Castle.

Gathering his wandering thoughts.

He continued to focus on the formation of the Knight Squad; among his followers, six were already Earth Knights.

Two Elite Earth Knights with Wind Attribute, Marcus Wheel and Thunder Attribute, Charles Trap; four Common Earth Knights with Earth Attribute, Rondo Waterpot, Rick Trace, Fire Attribute, Lasse Steelyard, and Thunder Attribute, Griffin Haystack.

“Out of the Earth Knights currently courting Fresh Flower Town, there are ten, I should quickly select six outstanding ones from among them.”

After Liszt’s snake-slaying feat, his fame was even greater, and naturally, more knights wanted to join him.

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However, not all who offered their allegiance were accepted; character, personality, age, and status were all criteria that needed to be carefully considered.

Setting down his teacup, he looked around the apple table and asked, “Consultant Goltai, Teacher Marcus, Charles, Zambrotta, which six of these ten Earth Knights do you think we should recruit to form the Knight Squad?”

Goltai and Marcus were his teachers, the people he trusted the most.

Charles as a veteran Elite Earth Knight, offered valuable insights given his marginal status; Zambrotta, a noble stripped of his title, also had his unique perspective.

He had called them to provide counsel.

Goltai swirled his wooden cup, “The tea leaves from the Green Tea Tree are indeed miraculous, initially bitter but growing more fragrant with each taste… My lord, I don’t have a direct understanding of the Earth Knights’ strengths to offer much advice, but Henry is not suitable; he has committed theft before.”

“Then let’s eliminate Henry first,” decided Liszt. Henry was competent and brave in combat, but his past theft was a stain on his character.

“Zoro and Paul are too old; there’s no need to develop them further. I advise giving up on them,” Marcus spoke seriously.

These two were over forty and still merely Common Earth Knights; even without Marcus’s advice, Liszt had no intention of recruiting them: “They can be excluded.”

Charles downed a cup of fine tea and, with some hesitation, nevertheless spoke up, “My lord, I have a personal grievance I can’t suppress; Victor has humiliated me, and I would be ashamed to serve alongside him… This is merely my personal grudge, and if my lord still wishes to recruit Victor, I will comply with your arrangement!”

Victor was only twenty-six, and his strength was close to challenging that of an Elite Earth Knight.

Liszt had highly regarded Victor but had not anticipated such a grudge between him and Charles. After some thought, he said, “Then let’s exclude Victor.”

“Thank you, my lord!” Charles bowed deeply.

Following that, Zambrotta also offered his opinion. After discussion, argument, and compromise, the official selection of knights to be recruited was determined.

Simon Plate, with the Water Attribute, a freeman by birth, twenty-eight years old, graduated from the Knight Academy.

Norman Twine, with the Water Attribute, of noble birth, twenty-three years old, the second son of an Honored Knight, graduated from the Knight Academy.

Leslie Pile of Dead Leaves, with the Ice Attribute, a freeman by birth, thirty years old, graduated from the Knight Academy.

Eric Firewood, with the Earth Attribute, a freeman by birth, thirty-two years old, graduated from the Knight Academy.

Daniel with the Fire Attribute, born a serf on an outlying isle, surnameless, twenty-nine years old, previously followed an Honored Knight but fell in battle.

David Big Yellow Tooth, with the Wind Attribute, a freeman by birth, twenty-four years old, graduated from the Knight Academy.

Tulip Castle’s established Knight Academy essentially trained most of Coral Island’s Earth Knights, including Liszt, who had studied there.

“Teacher Marcus, once all the knights are in place, I will announce the establishment of the Fresh Flower Town Knight Squad, with you as the inaugural Knight Captain, responsible for the squad’s charge training, and assist by Charles,” declared Liszt.

Both men stood up, “Yes, my lord!”

Liszt continued with his assignments, “Consultant Goltai and Zambrotta must also not relax. Continue to correspond with knights who express interest in joining Fresh Flower Town and ensure that, should any unqualified knights appear in our squad, we are able to replace them with new members at any time.”

They too stood up, “Yes, my lord!”