The Defeated Dragon Chapter 1

1 – Dragons, Sprites, Flower Town

While spending a week to recover from the poison of a wild fruit, all the while trying to adapt to his post-transmigration identity, Liszt often felt like it was inconceivable.

Suddenly dying while working overtime, then unexpectedly being reborn as an aristocrat.

An aristocrat from a different world to boot.

This world had some similarities with medieval Europe, with castles and knights being the norm. The difference being that it was a world full of magic and wonders, a world where dragons and sprites existed, where knights cultivated qi, and where the mysterious wizards dwelt. Even Liszt’s predecessor had practiced according to the [Fundamental Qi] secret manual and had become an Apprentice Knight.

“Low-ranked qi, ah.”

Qi endlessly flowed through his body. With a thought, it moved to the space between his hands. Immediately after, he felt his palms getting extremely hot, a formidable power flooding them.

The slight tingle from the swelling made him feel like the formidable power was enough to tear tigers and leopards asunder.

By relying on qi, which represented power, knights could rule over vast expanses of land.

Cultivating qi.

Mastering low-ranked qi stood for becoming an ‘Apprentice Knight’, mastering mid-ranked qi stood for becoming an ‘Earth Knight’, and mastering high-ranked qi stood for becoming a ‘Sky Knight’.

Liszt's father, the ‘Count of Coral Island’, Leewilliam Tulip, was a Sky Knight who had mastered high-ranked qi. In Coral Island, a territory which had a surface area equivalent to that of a prefecture-level city, he wielded absolute power, only being required to pledge allegiance to the Sapphire Grand Duke.

Unfortunately.

Despite being the count’s third child, Liszt had not inherited Tulip Family’s talent in qi. Even though he was already sixteen years old, yet he was still just an Apprentice Knight.

His older brother, Levis Tulip, had become an Earth Knight at the age of thirteen. Now, he was already an elite among Earth Knights, and was capable of simultaneously challenging three Earth Knights.

His older sister, Lvera Tulip, had also become an Earth Knight before reaching adulthood (adulthood=sixteen years old).

There was also a younger half-brother, Lytton Tulip, who was twelve years old. Reportedly, he had nearly promoted to an Earth Knight.

In terms of appearance, Liszt took more after his mother, the late countess. Slightly curly light golden hair, abstruse sapphire-like eyes, regular facial features, fair skin, a tall figure, and an innate aristocratic bearing. But sadly, his aptitude was just too bad.

Perhaps because his appearance was too similar to that of his mother, but the count had once high expectations of him.

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

When he grew up, his father was utterly disappointed, to the point of showing disgust.

His brother Levis was conferred the title of ‘life peer viscount’ and was destined to inherit the title of ‘hereditary peer count’. His sister Lvera was conferred the difficult to obtain Baroness of Falcon Town title, and unlike a phony ‘life peer chevalier’ without a fief, had become Sapphire Grand Duchy’s ‘hereditary peer dame’ with a fief.

As for Liszt, alike his sister, he was conferred the title of baron as well and Flower Town, Coral Island’s most desolate town.

Liszt, whose temperament was not unlike his mother’s, had always been delicate, constantly being bullied by his brother and sister. When growing up, the contact he had with the count had increasingly decreased, to the point that he had preferred to stay in the Knight College, not willing to go back home.

“Fortunately, he was a looser whom nobody paid attention; therefore, although I have taken his place, no one will notice it… And there is still his fief, his hereditary title, and the absolute power in his territory. It is just wonderful.” Liszt had already went through the initial panic, before blending into this world with great effort.

He had to integrate and act like an native.

Because magic and qi of this world exceeded science, transmigrators had no advantages. He could not build a nuclear weapon and have the radiation spread; therefore, the notion of using science to fight against magic and qi had to be shelved.

And after he understood a few things – metals and minerals coming entirely from dragons and the vigor of plants being inseparably linked with sprites – he became all the more low-key!

Without dragons or sprites.

If one wanted to farm or to initiate the industrial revolution, it was simply a pipe dream!

But dragons and sprites were very rare in the world. The Sapphire Grand Duchy only had a single dragon, the sapphire dragon, which acted as the Sapphire Grand Duke’s mount since one hundred and fifty years ago. The Sapphire Family was built on the dragon.

Reportedly, a dragon could live for a thousand years; that was to say, Sapphire Grand Duchy still had hundreds of years of prosperity to enjoy.

Sprites were more common than dragons, but they were distinctly divided into grades.

Liszt's father, Leewilliam Tulip, owned a ‘tulips greater sprite’, which helped his family grow large amounts of tulips. The family was established banking on the greater sprite and even the family name was changed to ‘Tulip’. Greater sprites could live for two hundred years; that was to say, if nothing else, Tulip Family still had one hundred and fifty years of prosperity to enjoy.

Lesser sprites were the next grade below greater sprites, they could live for one hundred years.

Tulip Family had twelve lesser sprites, helping the family cultivate various plants.

Sprite worms were the next grade below the lesser sprites, they were born from plants, could live for ten years, and could influence the growth of plants. There was a chance for them to evolve into lesser sprites within their ten-year-long life spans. As for sprite worms themselves, only by chance would one be born from plants.

Tulip Family had been farming Coral Island for more than twenty years, harvesting more than one hundred sprite worms. With those that had already died, the total came to more than one hundred and fifty. However, only twelve had evolved into lesser sprites.

"Sprites… unfortunately, the count really loathed my predecessor. Even Lvera had gotten one lesser sprite, while I only have four sprite worms!”

During his coming of age ceremony, the Count of Coral Island had conferred Liszt the Baron of Flower Town title and had gifted him four sprite worms.

And that was it.

“My Lord, it is dinner time. Does Lord want to start the meal?” The butler Carter came in and gave a slight bow after knocking on the door.

“It is already dinner time? Alright, go call the two teachers to join me for the meal.” Liszt stretched his waist inelegantly, keeping the posture for a moment and revealing his true colors.

After a while, the two teachers had arrived together.

The 45 years old, blonde, tailcoat-wearing man was the teacher Gort. He was a destitute chevalier who had attached himself to Tulip Family. He was in charge of Liszt’s education. He was Flower Town’s administrative officer, tasked to assist Liszt in supervising the town.

“Liszt, you seem to look much better, thank goodness. It is good to see you healthy and lively.” Gort said playfully, very casually.

The other person had a grave expression, his every movement very meticulous. The man was Liszt’s knight teacher, Marcus.

His strength was already at the Earth Knight, but he had yet to obtain a title of aristocracy. People from his family had been Tulip Family’s retainer knights for generations. In his generation, his family had finally given rise to an Earth Knight.

Liszt smiled lightly: “The two teachers have arrived. Mr. Carter, I will trouble you to start the meal.”

“As you wish, My Lord.” The old butler, Carter, gracefully left the living room, and went downstairs to inform the kitchen staff.

“Teacher Marcus, I have nearly recovered. Beginning tomorrow, I want to resume my knight cultivation lessons.” Said Liszt.

Marcus’ square face was expressionless: “Sure.”

Seeing Marcus’s expressionless face, Liszt smiled lightly. He was aware of the Earth Knight’s grievances. He wished to perform meritorious deeds on the battlefield, earn the title of a chevalier, rise to the upper class, and become a member of the aristocracy. However, he was transferred to Flower Town to serve as Liszt’s knight teacher, he was trapped in this remote and desolate place.

Moreover, Liszt was a famous good-for-nothing of Tulip Family; in other words, his prospects of becoming an aristocrat by following Liszt were extremely bleak.

In no time, the old butler had brought a servingman and a made carrying trays with food.

With not much food, the quality of life in Flower Town was quite low. Without much harvest and as the count’s son who had fallen out of favor, the supplies Liszt had brought when he arrived not being aplenty, he was unable to support a luxurious life stile.

Liszt was eating very earnestly.

Transmigration was a game of chance, and becoming an aristocrat was already extremely fortunate. It should be known that the majority of people in this world were commoners, two-legged sheep who could be trampled upon at will.

Including his two teachers and in fact, all of his servants, one word could determine whether they lived or died.

Chapter end