21 Chapter 0021: Wild Corn is Delicious

"""

A set of Dou Qi operation methods, which include how to refine Dou Qi, strengthen Dou Qi, condense Dou Qi, release Dou Qi, and attach Dou Qi. A set of combat techniques comprising sixteen moves.

Five movements related to body methods: Dragon Charge, Dragon Leap, Dragon Jump, Dragon Flight, Dragon Dive.

Five basic moves: Fire Dragon Stab, Fire Dragon Crash, Fire Dragon Smash, Fire Dragon Twist, Fire Dragon Drill.

Five fierce moves: Fire Dragon Tail Swing, Fire Dragon Sweep, Fire Dragon Gust, Fire Dragon Roll, Fire Dragon Assault.

One ultimate mystery technique: Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill.

This is the entirety of "Fire Dragon Drill", each move's name is quite intriguing, as if it's part of a series with his Fire Dragon Horse mount.

At this moment.

Liszt was riding on the back of the Fire Dragon Horse. As the Fire Dragon Horse galloped, his body slightly rose and fell, almost as if he and the horse were one. In his left hand, he held a shield made of fine steel in front of him, partially covering the Fire Dragon Horse. His right hand was stretched out with an over-three-meter-long Knight Spear.

Near the castle, the grass had been cut away, revealing the yellow soil—the barren loess land.

The hooves of the Fire Dragon Horse stepped on the somewhat moist ground, leaving uneven hoofprints, its body turning into a red fiery mass as it rapidly dashed into the distance. On the horse's back, Liszt, with Dou Qi radiating all around him, attached it to the shield and the Knight Spear, as well as the Fire Dragon Horse.

Soon, the rider and horse were completely enveloped in flames.

Accompanied by a loud shout from Liszt, "Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill!"

The Fire Dragon Horse leapt high, the Knight Spear thrusted forward fiercely. In an instant, countless merged shadows of the rider and the horse followed the attack, swiftly passing by and striking directly at a huge boulder ahead.

Earth-shattering blow!

Boom!

A man-high boulder was instantly shattered into dust. Flames wildly scattered everywhere, mingling with the debris to fall like raindrops. Once the dust had settled, Liszt, still on the Fire Dragon Horse, had already moved beyond the explosion's radius. He was ensconced in full body armor, as was the Fire Dragon Horse.

The full body armor was silver-white, with numerous scratches and black marks on it.

Lifting the faceplate off his helmet, Liszt's handsome face emerged, his corners of the mouth slightly curled in a smile as usual, "Not bad for the impact, this move, if it hits, should be able to severely cripple a Fierce Earth Dog or some such Magical Beast."

Clop, clop, clop, clop, clop.

The sound of horse hooves grew louder as they approached. Marcus and Goltai, each riding a horse, came galloping over, followed by Liszt's four Retainer Knights.

"Oh, God, Liszt, you are truly a genius. I have seen it, is that the ultimate mystery technique of the "Fire Dragon Drill", Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill? You've learned this entire manuscript in less than a week?" Goltai always spoke with a tone of astonishment.

Marcus circled the scattered debris of rocks, equally amazed, "The impact was very even, not a single piece of debris is larger than a fist, proving you've mastered this move. Most Earth Knights would find that very hard to do."

Having said that, he took a disbelieving look at Liszt.

In the past, the third son of the Earl's family was considered an utter waste. He had been well-fed with chicken, fish, meat, eggs, milk, and even tasted Magical Beast Meat, yet his Dou Qi cultivation was inferior even to that of commoner Knights. Unbelievably, after advancing to Earth Knight, in less than a week, he had fully mastered an Intermediate Dou Qi Manuscript.

It made him recall his own time training with the Gale Breaker, which took him a whole month and a half just to master the final ultimate mystery technique.

His heart was filled with mixed feelings, "Could this be the real difference between commoners and Nobles?"

"""

Liszt handed the shield and the Knight Spear to the Retainer Knights, and while he was at it, he also took off his helmet, breathing in the fresh air, his excitement hadn't subsided yet, "I originally thought it would take me several months to master "Fire Dragon Drill", but it turned out to be not that difficult. It looks like I can find time to learn "Flaming Wave" as well, the more skills, the better."

"With your talent, you should indeed learn a few more secret tomes, Liszt. I've always said that you have your father's flair, and you will surely bring glory to the Tulip Family in the future."

"Let's hope your words come true, Teacher Goltai."

On the way back, Goltai engaged in spirited conversation with Liszt, which was his forte. Marcus, on the other hand, seemed to have his mind wander off, lost in thought.

It wasn't until he entered the Castle for dinner and distractedly finished his meal that Liszt saw him out, and he finally snapped back to reality.

Waiting for Goltai to ride away, humming a tune.

He looked at Liszt, who still stood at the Castle's entrance, as if waiting for him to speak, and said in a solemn tone, "Baron, may I know where your sights are set?"

"My sights, you ask..."

Liszt thought to himself that Marcus was inquiring whether he had any ambition for achievements. Marcus, who aspired to be a Noble, would naturally not be content to stay coiled up in a small town, following a Baron without great ambitions.

But Liszt did not answer directly, "Teacher Marcus, for a person, do not listen to what he says, watch what he does. Words spoken can be true or false, but the deeds done are crystal clear, aren't they?"

"I understand!"

All of a sudden, Marcus knelt on one knee, placed his right hand on his chest, and gave a salute of loyalty, "I pledge my service as your vanguard!"

"Please rise, Teacher Marcus. The territory is still fragile; I need you to help me build it up." Liszt calmly helped Marcus to his feet, feeling a great sense of achievement within. To win the loyalty of an Earth Knight, that was personal charisma.

Back in the Castle.

After taking a bath.

He saw the Smoke Serpent Script again, "Task completed, reward one horse with a trace of Dragon Breed lineage."

Shortly, the smoke twisted, and a new task was issued, "Task: The fresh and tender Alfalfa is favored not only by dairy cows but also by horses. It is the foundation for starting a horse farm and the first step toward building achievements. Please arrange for Cordyceps for the Alfalfa Bug. Reward: Three wild corn plants."

Upon reading the Serpent Script, Liszt was quite excited.

The Dragon Breed Horse had already arrived, though he did not yet know where or who had discovered it; he planned to go find it the very next morning. However, right now, he was thrilled not by the Dragon Breed Horse but by the reward of corn for the new task.

This world did not have corn as a crop, at least not on Coral Island, and there was no memory of any corn-related plants in his predecessor's recollections.

"Corn, such a high-yield crop, said to have the highest per-acre yield in the world, right? And it doesn't need much tending; just plant it, and it grows by itself. It is even said to be a divine plant, naturally C4 with easy male sterility, and in the future, corn will dominate the world of grains. In "Interstellar", the nearly extinct human race grew only corn."

Having farmed in his childhood, Liszt knew corn had a high yield, though its taste wasn't as good as wheat or rice.

But here, it didn't need to taste the best, as long as it could fill stomachs, it would be the best crop. The wheat yield in Fresh Flower Town was only a couple of hundred pounds per acre. Once corn was planted, even if it didn't produce thousands of pounds per acre, as long as the yield exceeded five hundred pounds, it could sustain a larger population, ensuring no worries about food and clothing.

When that time comes.

Widely planting corn to provide rough cornmeal for the common folk. Planting a small amount of wheat to provide fine wheat flour for oneself, wouldn't that be delightful?