```
"Fierce Earth Dog!"
Marcus's heart lurched, and his Knight Spear trembled.
But in the next moment, he suddenly found that his Knight Spear had precisely pierced a small bloody hole in the Fierce Earth Dog's body. The ferocious lunge of the Fierce Earth Dog was halted by his spear, and it fell heavily to the ground.
The Fierce Earth Dog on the ground tried to turn and pounce again.
But Marcus gave it no chance, discarding the Knight Spear unsuited for close combat, he drew the One-Handed Sword hanging on his horse and hacked wildly at the Fierce Earth Dog.
The strength of an Earth Knight was astonishing, and even his One-Handed Sword had undergone systematic training.
For a time, he chopped at the Fierce Earth Dog, even larger than the Wind Blade Wolf, making it howl in chaos, its scattered retaliations completely lacking in technique. And from beginning to end, the Fierce Earth Dog did not use any magic but simply engaged in a melee with Marcus.
"Why is the most powerful Magical Beast of Thorn Ridge, the Fierce Earth Dog, no different from a common wild beast, so weak?" he wondered with a million doubts in his mind.
But his Longsword did not cease for a moment, and shortly after, the Fierce Earth Dog was severely injured and lay bleeding on the ground.
Barely hanging on to life.
Marcus dared not relax, picking up the Knight Spear from the ground and thrusting it toward the throat of the Fierce Earth Dog.
Pu-chi!
"Whimper…"
The Fierce Earth Dog's gaze scattered and it breathed its last.
Pulling out the rope he carried, Marcus skillfully tied it around the Fierce Earth Dog's tail, then mounted his dun horse, speeding back the way he had come. He dared not linger in Thorn Ridge, especially since the blood scent of the Fierce Earth Dog might attract wild beasts, even Magical Beasts.
According to the laws of the nobles, all produce from the territory belonged to the landlord.
Therefore, even though Marcus had killed the Fierce Earth Dog, it belonged to Liszt's property. He sped along and quickly returned to the two-story castle.
"Teacher Marcus." Karl Ironhammer was on duty; their Retainer Knights needed to guard the castle's safety.
"Quick, go inform the Baron, I've killed a Magical Beast!"
"What, a Magical Beast!"
Swiftly, the entire castle was stirred, whether Retainer Knights, manservants, maidservants, the butler, or the cook, all followed Liszt to come and see the Magical Beast. Magical Beasts were actually not uncommon, for Tulip Castle had them bred, but in this small place, a Magical Beast was still a rarity.
Moreover, Magical Beasts were valuable, treasures from head to toe!
"Teacher Marcus, is this the King of Thorn Ridge, the powerful low-level Magical Beast called the Fierce Earth Dog?" asked Liszt, his eyes gleaming with deep thought.
"It is indeed a Fierce Earth Dog, under normal circumstances, even two of me might not be able to defeat a Fierce Earth Dog, as it can release Earth Attribute magic—Rock Spike, which is very difficult to defend against, and upon encountering it one can only flee. But the one I have hunted only used wild beast pounce, it did not use magic even once."
"It didn't use magic, what do you think is the reason?"
Marcus had clearly pondered during his wait: "I think, I might have encountered a Female Tyrant Earth Hound that had recently given birth. Looking at its abdomen, shriveled and slack, these are postnatal traits, and it is still in the lactation period. Also, I found many bite marks on its body."
"Lactation period? Bite marks?"
"Here, here, and here, these are all tooth marks; Baron, do you remember the Wind Blade Wolf we encountered earlier? These tooth marks are starting to heal, they are not very clear, but I think they are from the Wind Blade Wolf."
"So you're suggesting..." Liszt felt suddenly assured, "This Fierce Earth Dog was attacked by Wind Blade Wolves during its pregnancy, it might have won and given birth to its offspring, but the battle drained its strength and magic power, forcing it to rely on its animal instincts to hunt, and then it encountered you, Teacher Marcus?"
"Very likely."
Liszt suppressed his excitement and calmly said, "In that case, Teacher Marcus, compared to the valuable corpse of the Fierce Earth Dog, I think its offspring are the real treasure. Are you still able to fight? Join me in searching Thorn Ridge to find the Fierce Earth Dog's offspring."
"I am always ready to fight," Marcus puffed out his chest, then added, "but Thorn Ridge is very dangerous, I alone should go in to search."
"Together, I am also an Earth Knight."
"Baron..."
"Don't forget, nobles, too, need to fight. Just treat this as a practical knight lesson for me," Liszt declared with righteous fervor.
```
In his heart, however, he thought that with the mission reward lying just over there, how could he be content without claiming it.
Moreover, the fact that the weakened Fierce Earth Dog survived and attacked Marcus suggested that there were no Magical Beasts over there threatening its life; otherwise, it would have already become a pile of dung.
No one could stop Liszt's determination.
Marcus placed one hand over his chest and respectfully performed a Knight's salute, expressing his respect for Liszt's courage.
The butler, Old Carter, bent at the waist to bow, "My lord, your courage is armored and sharp, and glory shall surely be with you!"
"Of course."
Liszt donned the Magical Beast Leather Armor and mounted his horse with a heroic bearing, "Let's set out!"
...
Two Earth Knights followed by four Retainer Knights galloped off, quickly entering the territory of Thorn Ridge. Guided by Marcus, they reached the spot where he first sensed the Fierce Earth Dog's presence.
"Baron, this is the spot where I felt its presence. The Fierce Earth Dog followed me for about a mile from here before it ambushed me."
"Then, its den must be nearby. Let's start searching."
The mounds of earth rose and fell unevenly, and the woods were in disarray.
The group of six searched for half an hour without finding the den of the Fierce Earth Dog, growing somewhat irritable and disappointed.
"My lord, perhaps the Fierce Earth Dog only passed through here, its den might not be near here, or it might not even have a den," Karl said.
But Liszt firmly stated, "I believe its den is around here."
The confidence in the reward from the Smoke Mission was unyielding; it was his backbone.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Does anyone know what a Fierce Earth Dog sounds like?"
"Fierce Earth Dogs are still dogs; their barks are no different than those of ordinary dogs," Marcus provided the answer.
"Then, Karl, Rom, Gray, Auden, you four must keep imitating the barking of dogs. If there are any young cubs of the Fierce Earth Dog here, they will definitely respond—they probably won't understand what the imitated barks mean and will think it's their mother calling for them."
"Good idea." Marcus agreed.
So, along with the four Retainer Knights, he imitated a variety of dog barks as they continued to search the area.
A quarter of an hour later.
Marcus suddenly raised his hand, "Silence!"
After everyone fell quiet, he made a gesture of listening intently and whispered, "Baron, listen."
Liszt concentrated his listening, and after a few seconds, he heard a faint "awoo" sound amid the unknown bird calls. It was unmistakably a dog's bark.
"It's over there."
"Yes, just over there." Marcus signaled to Karl, "Your imitation is the most realistic, now you keep doing it."
Karl did as instructed.
Each time he barked, a faint "awoo" would respond from not too far away. Following this puzzling conversation, Liszt and the others finally found the Fierce Earth Dog's den, concealed within a thicket of bushes.
Pushing aside the entrance's thatch, Marcus carefully pulled out a very small puppy that had not yet opened its eyes.
He carefully handed the young pup to Liszt, "My lord, this is a young Fierce Earth Dog, a priceless treasure! It hasn't opened its eyes, and when it does, it will recognize its owner." Not all Magical Beasts recognize an owner, but canine Magical Beasts do exhibit this behavior trait.
The first thing they see is what they recognize.
Most of the time, what they see is their mother—perhaps recognizing an owner is in essence identifying a mother.
Shivering in Liszt's arms, the puppy occasionally let out a fearful "awoo," evidently frightened by the unfamiliar scent on Liszt, which was not the smell of its mother's milk.
"Just hang in there; soon you'll be able to drink milk again." Liszt smoothed the fuzzy fur of the little milk dog and mounted his horse once more, "Let's return!"
```
Because of the Fierce Earth Dog incident, Marcus decided to postpone his departure by one day.
While resting, he told Liszt some precautions about rearing Magical Beasts.
"Magical Beasts, even if they can recognize an owner, are full of danger. They lack concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, and are prone to unpredictable temperaments. Once they master the use of Magic Power, they might inadvertently harm people. Therefore, Baron, in raising the Fierce Earth Dog cub, you need to actively guide and train it."
"Like the pack of hunting dogs raised in Tulip Castle?"
"Yes, you must train its obedience from a young age, ensuring that it follows your commands. You also need to constantly deplete its Magic Power so that it expends this energy in training sessions, preventing it from using magic to harm people in normal circumstances. The Fierce Earth Dog's Rock Spike is a very deadly magic."
"How long before it can cast magic?"
"I'm not quite sure. However, the magic of Magical Beasts is generally weak before they reach adulthood. The Fierce Earth Dog can probably mature in about a year and a half, which means you have a year and a half to tame it."
"Very well, I will treat this as a matter of cultivation and persistently train it."
Marcus was evidently in a good mood. After explaining the precautions, he rarely offered some compliments, "Peanut worms, Magic Potion, Magical Beasts—Baron, you're going to give everyone on Coral Island quite a surprise."
Liszt smiled.
The real surprise was still to come.
He asked, "How should I deal with the corpse of the Female Tyrant Earth Hound?"
"Perhaps you should ask Lord Goltai, who once managed the market trade for Earl, about the value of Magical Beasts. He is the most knowledgeable."
"Mr. Carter, please invite Teacher Goltai."
"As you wish, my lord."
Goltai hurried over and upon seeing the Fierce Earth Dog's corpse, he exclaimed loudly, "Wow, what do I see here? Is this the King of Thorn Ridge's Fierce Earth Dog? My goodness, it's a Low-Level Magical Beast, but I feel it emits an aura terrifying like an Intermediate Magical Beast. Marcus, I must admit, you're one of the top Knights on Coral Island."
The most powerful knight on Coral Island was doubtlessly Liszt's father, the Sky Knight, Earl William Lee Tulip, who was also the only knight with Advanced Dou Qi.
The rest were Earth Knights.
As for Magical Beasts on Coral Island, it seems that only the southern shallow water beaches are home to an Intermediate Magical Beast—the Purple Sand Crocodile. The Magical Beasts in other mountains are all Low-Level. The Fierce Earth Dog here in Thorn Ridge is the most powerful among the Low-Level Magical Beasts.
"Teacher Goltai, how should this beast be dealt with?" asked Liszt.
Goltai prodded the Fierce Earth Dog's corpse with his cane. The calf-sized Fierce Earth Dog, with congealed bloodstains all over, looked quite dreadful, "The fur is ruined; otherwise, the Fierce Earth Dog's fur is the most precious, worth at least twenty Gold Coins."
A Gold Coin is the currency of the Duchy of Sapphire, named in honor of the father by the first Sapphire Duke.
"It should still be worth some Gold Coins, right?"
"Only as scraps sold as leather. I guess, perhaps a dishonest merchant might be willing to pay five Gold Coins, or a conscientious merchant might offer ten Gold Coins."
Goltai continued his analysis, "Its meat, I reckon there's about six hundred pounds. Market price for Magical Beast meat is typically one silver coin per pound. Fierce Earth Dog meat could likely go for two silver coins per pound, totaling twelve Gold Coins. However, Liszt, you should keep it for yourself to eat, as you need to stabilize your own Dou Qi now."
"Mr. Goltai is quite right. Selling its meat is not profitable; the Castle usually needs to purchase meat from outside anyway," Carter interjected, serving as the trusted Butler, he could participate in such discussions.
"Aside from the fur and meat, all that remains are the bones and internal organs. The organs of Magical Beasts can be sold to those stealthy magicians. I know where to find some magicians; they always like to acquire Magical Beast organs and all sorts of mysterious herbs and plants, difficult to say how many Gold Coins. As for the bones, they make good soup."
At this point, Goltai chuckled, "It's a pity it's a bitch. If it had been a male dog, wow, that would have been a great tonic."
```
The difference between a male dog and a female dog is whether it has a penis or not.
Liszt said, "Then let's skin the Fierce Earth Dog, tan the hide, and find time to sell it. Clean the innards as well, pickle them, Teacher Goltai, are there any magicians on Coral Island?"
"It seems there aren't."
"Then let's keep the innards for ourselves to eat in the castle."
"Haha, we're all in for a treat then, praise the generous Baron Liszt!"
…
Night fell.
A small barbecue party was held in the castle.
The servants, Retainer Knights, together with the host Liszt, and two teachers enjoyed the delicious barbecued meat and chatted about the finer things in life.
Liszt actually didn't like such lively occasions very much; he was intrinsically a quiet person.
However, life in the castle was such that most castles were gloomy and living there for a long time could become very oppressive, so it was necessary to find opportunities for release, and parties were the best chance for that.
After having their fill of food and drink.
The servants began cleaning up the messy knives, forks, cutlery, and wine glasses, while Liszt went upstairs, heading straight for the originally vacant entertainment room. The entertainment room had been turned into a den for the young Fierce Earth Dog pup. The little puppy was being raised there until it opened its eyes, to ensure that the first person it saw was Liszt.
So feeding and bathing had to be done by Liszt himself.
The little puppy shivered, so Liszt named it "Douson."
"Hello, Douson, time for milk." Liszt brought the cowhide bag filled with cow's milk to Douson's mouth, its mouth was specially cut in a certain shape.
Smelling the milk, the desire to feed overcame the fear of the unfamiliar scent, and Douson quickly crawled over, fumbled for the mouth of the bag, and then gulped it down.
Despite being only as big as a Teddy dog, it ate with the vigor characteristic of a Magical Beast, gobbling down its food.
In the blink of an eye, Douson had finished a whole bag of milk.
And with that bag of milk.
Douson became familiar with Liszt's scent, and now when Liszt stroked its fur, not only did Douson not hide, but it also rubbed its head against his palm, showing affection. To the unknowing, it really seemed like Liszt had just raised a common earth dog, not the King of Thorn Ridge, the Magical Beast Tyrant Earth Hound.
"When will you open your eyes?"
As if hearing Liszt's words, Douson made a soft "wah" sound from its mouth.
Liszt was slightly lost in thought as a wisp of smoke again appeared before his eyes, quickly transforming into a piece of text: "Mission completed, reward: a Fierce Earth Dog pup."
"Sure enough, Douson is the reward, I've already figured out the mechanism behind the Smoke Missions." he thought to himself.
The Serpent Script in the smoke in front of him had already changed.
"Mission: As an Earth Knight, you are tasked with the heavy responsibility of leading a cavalry charge. Please train with an Intermediate Dou Qi Manuscript to become a true Knight fit for battle. Reward: one Dragon Breed Horse with a trace of dragon blood."
"Dragon Breed Horse?" Liszt's eyes lit up.
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