121 – Keel Fixer, Bloodline Fruit

With the s.h.i.+pwreck incident being properly resolved, the smoke mission was also completed.

“Mission completed. Reward: a broken bone.”

Without a doubt, the mission reward was the big bone engraved with magic runes found inside the keel. The bone naturally belonged to Liszt, yet he was not too clear about its use. It was reckoned to be a magic equipment.

As the bone was found inside the s.h.i.+p's keel, it might be related to sailing.

Soon after, Captain Kosto, the person most familiar with sailing in the Flower Town, explained the bone's use to Liszt: “Sir Lord, this bone is indeed a magic equipment. It's called ‘Keel Fixer'. It can stabilize a s.h.i.+p's keel, making it st.u.r.dier. But its greatest use, however, is as a deterrent against sea monsters.”

“Keel Fixer? A deterrent against sea monsters?”

There was zealotry in Kosto's tone: “Most Keel Fixers are made using the bones of high-ranked dragon type magic beasts. Once the dragon bloodline is excited via magic power, it would give rise to a faint Dragon Might, thus scaring sea monsters away… Sir Lord, the Keel Fixer is tailor-made for the Flower!”

A high-ranked dragon type magic beast's bone.

High-ranked dragon type magic beasts were more precious than greater sprites. In the Sapphire Grand Duchy, there were very few high-ranked dragon type magic beasts and in fact, even high-ranked magic beasts were not common. On the Coral Island, there was only a single mid-ranked magic beast – the Purple Sand Crocodile.

The bone was very precious and it was even engraved with runes by a wizard.

Liszt poured his qi into the Keel Fixer at once. Gradually, the magic runes above the Keel Fixer lit up before turning it into a dazzling bone wand.

The bone wand started to exude a faint, heartrending pressure.

Liszt had once felt this kind of pressure. At the time when he faced the invisible dragon, its Dragon Might made it difficult for him to operate his qi. However, the Dragon Might released by the bone wand was much weaker, it couldn't affect his operation of qi. Besides, this Dragon Might was already amplified by magic runes. After all, dragon type magic beasts were not dragons, their bloodline was thin.

“It's a bit bland. The impact of such Dragon Might is somewhat weak.”

“It actually isn't weak, Sir Lord. I have gooseb.u.mps all over my body and feel suffocated. When sea monsters detect Dragon Might, no matter how weak or strong, they are sure to run as far away as possible.”

Humans were not the only ones that understood the might of dragons. Similarly, dragons were predators of magic beasts and sea monsters. Upon feeling their predator's aura, it was natural for them to flee. The Keel Fixer was a treasure.

Liszt handed a retainer knight the Keel Fixer and then turned to Kosto: “I'll store it away for the time being. In the future, when the Flower goes into the sea, I'll see whether to install it on the s.h.i.+p or nor.”

Kosto was somewhat regretful, but he still bowed in salute. He didn't dare to question the lord's decision.

“That's right. Captain Kosto, since the s.h.i.+pwreck has a Keel Fixer, then why doesn't the Flower?” Liszt suddenly thought of a problem.

“The Keel Fixer's manufacturing technique has been lost along with the destruction of Marquis Cohen's family. I've seen once a s.h.i.+p manufactured by Marquis Cohen's family and therefore, I know about the Keel Fixer, which is a magic equipment whose manufacturing technique was solely grasped by wizards of Marquis Cohen's family.”

The Keel Fixer's technique probably lied in the magic runes carved on the surface of the bone.

Marquis Cohen was the founder of a Sapphire Grand Duchy's marquis family more than one hundred years ago as well as one of the followers of the first generation's Grand Duke Sapphire.

Later, however, Marquis Cohen's family seemed to have involved itself in a coup d'etat, and later… there was no later.

As there was no official record of this incident and it was already more than one hundred years later, there was no longer anyone that cared about Marquis Cohen. There had been too many aristocrats that fell into oblivion. Only the living had value, while the dead could only be forgotten.

Presumably, the wizard technique became history along with Marquis Cohen.

“What a pity. The Keel Fixer still has great use in sailing… It would certainly be of great help when sailing towards the Devil Sea. If one were to find a dragon bone and then forge it into a Keel Fixer, then even the fiercer sea monsters might just flee.”

According to legend, the Devil Sea had strong storms and huge sea monsters, and no s.h.i.+p could sail on it.

Liszt was very curious about the Devil Sea, or rather, about what was beyond the sea: “One day, I'll recruit some wizards to study the Keel Fixer's technique for me.”

That would mark the begin of the age of discoveries!

……

There were still many secrets that had to be uncovered.

Why was there a Specter hidden in the Keel Fixer, how did the Specter kill the woman, why did the Specter get into the metal bottle, could it survive inside the gem's s.p.a.ce, what was its state of existence, who was the person during her life, what did she look like, and why did she posses such a grand 36D – these were his questions.

For the time being, however, Liszt didn't continue to dwell on them. 

A new mission waited him.

“Mission: after the rainstorm, the magic power in the Thorns Ridge is more abundant than ever before. A lone growing magic ingredient is in the process of bearing a fruit capable of altering a magic beast's bloodline. Perhaps, a new mid-ranked magic beast will be born. A crisis is about to befall the Flower Town. Please settle the crisis. Reward: a Bloodline Fruit.”

The Bloodline Fruit was not a plant type, but rather, it was a fairly special existence among magic ingredients, a mutated form of a common plant without any means of reproduction. Even with the corresponding sprite, it still couldn't be cultivated.

When the fruit condensed enough magic power, it would ripe and fall to the ground, and the plant would die.

The fruit was called the Bloodline Fruit because the highly condensed magic power inside it was capable of stimulating the evolution of beasts' and magic beasts' bloodlines. Reportedly, a beast that ate a Bloodline Fruit could condense magic power and become a magic beast, a low-ranked magic beast that ate more Bloodline Fruits could evolve into a high-ranked magic beast.

The Bloodline Fruits could not be cultivated, they were very precious and very difficult to come by. After ripening, their magic power would gradually dissipate, until they degenerate into common fruit a few minutes later.

There were many greater aristocrats looking for the Bloodline Fruits in order to raise breedable magic beast livestock. Flaming Rabbits were small magic beasts artificially bred by relying on the Bloodline Fruits, they were specially raised for consumption.

Of course, the Bloodline Fruits had amazing reserves of magic power. After being ingested, there was not a small number of beasts and magic beasts dying from the ‘great nourishment'.

Liszt couldn't keep his calm after seeing this mission: “I must have the Bloodline Fruit! Otherwise, the Thorns Ridge will give rise to a mid-ranked magic beast and the Flower Town will suffer! I don't want to live under the shadow of a mid-ranked magic beast!”

Mid-ranked magic beasts could contend against Sky Knights. Besides, with their tough hides, common Sky Knights had no methods to cope with them.

The Purple Sand Crocodile had been discovered in the Shallow Water Beach in the south of the Coral Island a long time ago, yet it was still alive and well.

It wasn't that the count didn't want to hunt it down. Rather, the risk involved would be too great. If by chance, he were to be killed by the Purple Sand Crocodile instead, then everything would be for naught. Might as well leave the Shallow Water Beach to the Purple Sand Crocodile to lord over. So long as it didn't cross the border, there would be no need to take risks.

The count had a huge estate and therefore, he could afford to cede a tract of land to magic beasts.

Liszt, on the other hand, couldn't do it. Once the Thorns Ridge gave rise to a mid-ranked magic beast, the Flower Town's peaceful life would come to an end.

“Teacher Marcus, the knight squad has been groomed for a few months already. It is time to start clearing the Thorns Ridge of magic beasts! All threats shall be eradicated!”