The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Chapter 144: Ivan’s Numbing Journey

“Liszt.”

Frank pronounced the name, “Baron of Fresh Flower Town, the third child of the Earl, Sherry, you must remember him, as a child you always used to play following him around.”

“Is it Brother Liszt? Of course, I remember.” Sherry blinked, and a somewhat childish but handsome face emerged hazily in her mind.

Liszt had been very handsome since he was young.

However, she had left Coral Island to study at Bull Horn Academy for several years.

Due to inconvenient shipping, she didn’t even return home during festivals, and her memories of Liszt had gradually faded. At that time, she wasn’t of the age to be infatuated with the opposite sex, so naturally, she didn’t retain a clear memory of any particular playmate.

“What do you think of Liszt?” Frank inquired.

Sherry shook her head, “Father, I’ve only met Liszt when he was twelve, a mere child. Now that he’s an adult, I have no idea what he’s turned into.”

“Indeed, we should find an opportunity for you two to meet.”

At this moment, Frank’s wife asked, “It seems that Liszt isn’t much valued by the Earl, his fief is even the most remote Fresh Flower Town.”

“Indeed, Liszt isn’t highly regarded by the Earl. The Earl, relying on his own determination, established Coral Island and wishes for his children to be bold and forward-thinking,” Frank said. “But regardless, he is of the Tulip Family’s bloodline, and to receive his fief upon reaching adulthood is not a treatment commonly enjoyed by the secondary sons of nobility.”

“It’s just the Earl’s kindness, and he is a diligent father, even Li Vera has been granted a baronial fief,” his wife said enviously.

Li Vera had significant influence among the noble ladies of Coral Island, a Hereditary Baroness, a rarity in the entire Duchy of Sapphire.

“The reason the Earl doesn’t value Liszt much is that Liszt’s talents aren’t outstanding, and he has a soft nature. But from my recent interactions, Liszt has transformed, carrying an authority with his gentleness, and he is becoming increasingly mature. The Earl even went to Fresh Flower Town to celebrate the Outing Festival, and that is a sign.”

“A sign of what?”

“What else could it be but a sign that a son has regained his father’s trust? The Earl is still in his prime, and naturally, he hopes to attain more knightly glory with his sons.”

“Really? But he hasn’t been on the battlefield while Levis has already been there.”

“It’s just a matter of time, he carries the blood of both the Tulip and Long Taro Families.” Frank felt his wife was narrow-minded like a minor country noble, so he simply spoke directly to his daughter, “Sherry, Liszt has been preparing his own Knight Squad and has purchased a batch of armed Knight Squad equipment from the Tulip Castle.”

No praise has more convincing power than action itself.

A country lord who owns a Knight Squad is, of course, extraordinary.

Sherry’s eyes brightened, “Father, Mother, when can I meet Brother Liszt? I feel that I have my own discerning eyes.”

“Our Sherry is smart and beautiful, of course, you have your own discerning eyes. Father will soon find you an opportunity.”

Footsteps faltered.

Exhausted and hungry.

Ivan wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked with a numb gaze at the equally numb companions beside him. Their clothes were filthy and reeked, their hair tangled into knots, and the dust on their faces could not hide the pale and jaundiced skin. The group was indistinguishable by age or gender, even the cries of babies were feeble and weak.

“Hurry up, if you don’t want to be whipped, keep your spirits up and keep up with the group!” the Clerk, holding a whip, shouted loudly.

Every now and then, he snapped the whip in the air, producing a sharp crack.

Ivan shuddered, his head, slightly dizzy, suddenly cleared, and his heavy steps quickened. Just a moment ago, one of his companions had been whipped by the Clerk, tearing their clothes and leaving them crying out in pain.

“Crack!”

Another crack of the whip.

Ivan lowered his head, gritting his teeth, trying to hasten his pace. He was terrified of the whip. On the ship, a companion from the same small town who slept in a corner, had been beaten to death by the first mate with that very whip. The dying wails had caused him to have nightmares for several nights in a row.

In dreams, it was a nightmare.

In reality, it was also a nightmare.

He missed the days of toiling in the fields on the island, where although he might go hungry, and knights with whips would lash serfs who couldn’t pay their taxes. But most of the time, he could move freely and chat with others. He could even go to the town, just to catch a glimpse of the beautiful baker’s wife.

However, one day, everything changed.

He heard the cries of knights shouting and killing, followed by a group of bloodstained knights, who came to his village and drove them out. Some people didn’t want to go and were killed; those who didn’t want to be killed had no choice but to follow them. It was this day that he left his homeland, starting his endless, bumpy nightmare.

He was taken to a market where everyone sold was a serf just like him.

Locked in cages, eating a bit of spoiled black bread, dazed and confused. Serfs were taken away continuously, and new ones were constantly brought in.

Then, he was taken away too.

He followed a group of strangers onto a big ship, not understanding the language spoken there, and not daring to speak with others. To his surprise, there was someone on the ship who recognized him, from the same town.

“It’s the Sapphire People!” his companion told him.

He instantly thought of the legend of the “barbarians.” Every year, barbarians from the seas would come to the Eagle Kingdom to raid and plunder; they all came from the Duchy of Sapphire across the sea.

“The people on the ship are Sapphire People, we’ve been sold to barbarians! The ones who captured us are mercenaries, they’re even worse than rats!” his companion said bitterly, “I swear! One day, I’ll come back, find these mercenaries, and kill them all!”

Ivan didn’t respond.

His companion’s words terrified him.

He had been farming since he was young and had never killed even a chicken—he did not have chickens—only nobles killed serfs, serfs would never dare to kill anyone.

Unfortunately, not long after his companion had sworn his oath, he was beaten to death with a whip.

With no one else to talk to, Ivan continued living the nightmare from which he could not awaken. He had never been on a ship before, and the seasickness was almost fatal. After several days like this, today, he finally set foot on land, arriving at a completely foreign place. He couldn’t understand a word spoken here.

He didn’t even know where he was being driven to.

He was confused about tomorrow, not knowing what he was holding on for, not even knowing what holding on meant. He just followed wherever the whip drove him, never thinking about death, nor understanding what joy in life was. His legs had gone numb for what felt like the umpteenth time.

He heard the clerk waving his whip again, shouting something.

He couldn’t understand, but the line slowly came to a halt. When the others stopped, so did he, finally able to give his legs a moment of rest.

He saw that others began to sit down.

He followed suit and sat down.

Nobody spoke; on the ship, all were forbidden from communicating, and he had grown accustomed to silence. He lifted his head, his gaze falling on a female serf not far ahead who was preparing to nurse her child, lifting her tattered clothing to reveal her shriveled breast and placing it in the baby’s mouth.

The baby sucked vigorously, unsure if it could draw even a drop of milk.

If this had been in the past, Ivan would certainly have salivated and greedily peeked at the woman’s breasts, he was still young and had never touched a woman’s hand, let alone those swollen breasts.

But in this moment, there was no allure to be found in breasts, and he had not the slightest urge to think about such things—his stomach was so empty his intestines felt like they were knotting up.

The sun moved overhead, it was noon.