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Despite still being weak, with the peasant woman’s fussing, she had successfully sat up on a stool, ready to answer Liszt’s questions.

“So, Chris Truth is your name?”

“Yes, Baron,” Chris nodded, then said in a slightly hoarse voice, “Thank you for rescuing me from the sea. For such a kindness, I do not know how to repay you.”

Liszt said offhandedly, “How about working for Fresh Flower Town?”

“Ah?” Chris did not catch on immediately; according to customary practice, she should have been polite before discussing repayment, “I… of course, my life was saved by you, Baron. I am quite willing to work for you… However, I am somewhat concerned that it may implicate you.”

The recruitment seemed to be going well, so Liszt asked, “Implicate me?”

Chris nodded, “Aren’t you curious as to why I ended up in distress at sea?”

“Quite curious, you can tell me about it. I want to know about that.”

“I… Since you are my lifesaver, I shouldn’t hide anything from you. The matter is very serious and involves a lot. I hope, Baron, that this information remains only with you, and it’s best not to let a third person know.”

“Is that so? Speak then, I will judge for myself.”

Chris took a deep breath; her eyes momentarily betraying confusion, then she slowly began, “I thought for certain I was going to die, frozen in permafrost by ice system magic, drifting along the sea until I arrived here… Coral Island, Fresh Flower Town, fortunately encountered you, Baron, and you gave me a second life.”

She paused.

Seeming to organize her thoughts.

A moment later she continued, “Coral Island is within the Duchy of Sapphire, located in a remote area. Perhaps by the time the news reaches here, it will be too late.”

“What news?” Liszt urged.

Chris carefully glanced around the room, ensuring no one was eavesdropping, before leaning forward to whisper earnestly, “The Marquis of Bull is planning to assassinate the Grand Duke’s dragon!”

“What!”

Liszt exclaimed in surprise, then also lowered his voice, “Chris, are you joking with me?”

“I am not, Baron. I, too, wish this were fake news, but… I was personally involved in this matter, and it’s all true!” Chris’s expression turned numb, “The magicians of the Goat Assembly had always believed they were just researching topics related to dragons. It wasn’t until the final day that we knew the Marquis of Bull was using us to assassinate the Grand Duke’s dragon.”

“Goat Assembly?”

“A congregation of magicians, mainly conducting various research projects on Iron Hoof Island, secretly funded by the Marquis of Bull.”

Liszt tried not to make too many assumptions, simply continuing to inquire, “Are you talking about the Goat Assembly created by the Magic Goat Family?”

“The Baron also knows of the Goat Assembly? I thought it was a secret magician organization… Yes, the Goat Assembly originated from the Magic Goat Family more than a hundred years ago. Back then, many magicians were affiliated with the Magic Goat Family, and following a disaster that led to the family’s extinction, the Goat Assembly was forced to relocate.”

They moved to Iron Hoof Island.

They skulked around for decades, until one day, a magician leading the Goat Assembly established contact with the former Marquis of Bull.

Since then, magicians could stay on Iron Hoof Island with peace of mind, continue to engage in various researches, and gradually grow stronger. Chris had joined the Goat Assembly fourteen years ago when she was only ten years old, and she was a magic apprentice. It wasn’t until she was seventeen that she was promoted to magician.

This year, she just turned twenty-four.

“I always thought the Goat Assembly was just an ordinary exchange organization for magicians, where they don’t normally gather and only occasionally exchange magic knowledge. The grand magicians in the assembly would also assign some research topics to us young magicians—I was assigned the topic of ‘whether souls can be stored’… Ah, my soul storage vessel… did it fall into the sea?”

Only then did she remember that she had a soul storage vessel amongst her magic equipment.

Liszt was not at all embarrassed, “Is it that copper kettle? It might have been taken by my servants and stored in the castle’s warehouse. Do you need it?”

“It’s a very magical piece of equipment, a collectible of the Grand Magician Rashid·Truth. After he assigned the topic to me, he handed over the soul storage vessel for my research. However, I despised him for betraying the Goat Assembly, so when I ran away, I took the soul storage vessel with me.”

She continued very obligingly, “Now I no longer plan to study souls, so let it stay in Baron’s warehouse.”

With a slight smile, Liszt signaled, “Continue with your story.”

“Okay.” Chris glanced at Liszt, a blush flickering across her face, “We young magicians were all diligently researching our topics every day. But there was one magician, Flo·Truth, who was very active, constantly communicating with every magician… He realized that all of our individual topics combined could form a larger one—how to severely damage a dragon’s soul.”

Such a topic wasn’t considered shocking.

Just as many knights dream of becoming dragon slayers, magicians often fantasize about how to kill or cripple a dragon.

But the young magician Flo, he took it upon himself to start a secret investigation and soon uncovered an earth-shattering conspiracy—Marquis of Bull was plotting dragon slaying. Of course, he didn’t blow the whistle. On the contrary, he actively collaborated because slaying a dragon was one of his dreams as well.

However, when the research on the topic was almost finished, the leading grand magicians of the Goat Assembly suddenly began to capture magicians scattered all over the place.

To silence them permanently.

“Flo warned us to flee for our lives. My teacher became the one who was chasing me. Just when I thought I was going to die, she cast the ice system magic ‘Permafrost,’ pushing me into the sea… My blessing pendant was given to me by my teacher; it could protect me from harm.”

Chris touched the silver coin pendant around her neck, her eyes dimming, “I knew then, my teacher was going to join the Marquis of Bull and the grand magicians of the Goat Assembly to assassinate the Grand Duke’s dragon… I wonder if they succeeded.”

Liszt frowned deeply.

His heart surged with turmoil as the matter of dragon slaying entered his ears, catching him off guard, “Chris, I want to know, why would the Marquis of Bull slay a dragon? He is of the Sapphire Family’s bloodline!”

The original Marquis of Bull was the youngest and most beloved son of the First Grand Duke. As a young man, he was granted the title of Baron of the Bull, and he was one of the first to be endowed with Iron Hoof Island after the nation’s founding, ascending to the Marquis of Bull.

The current Marquis of Bull, Andy·Sapphire, was said to have grown up in The Court and was childhood friends with the reigning Grand Duke, in addition to serving as the Grand Duke’s personal guard, being extremely close-knit. The Bull Family had never changed their surname and had established Bull Horn Academy to train servants for The Court.

It can be said that the Bull Family and the Sapphire Family were tied together, sharing both fortunes and misfortunes.

It would be nonsensical for the Marquis of Bull to slay a dragon, essentially destroying his own ramparts.

Chris shook her head: “It’s probably because of… the pursuit of immortality. I’ve heard my teacher say, the Magic Goat Family possesses the transformation techniques of the undead Lich, and the Goat Assembly established contact with the Marquis of Bull by relying on this technology.”

A Lich!

It was the Lich again!

Liszt’s expression darkened, his gaze sharp—this Magic Goat Family truly was a persistent specter.