Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 181 - 181 180 The Magpies are Chirping on the

Chapter 181: Chapter 180 The Magpies are Chirping on the Treetops Chapter 181: Chapter 180 The Magpies are Chirping on the Treetops “The Lord has returned,” said the clerk Charles as he was arranging the data sheets for the newly cultivated tobacco magic fields in the temporary office at the small market, when he heard a junior clerk come in to report.

“The Lord has returned?”

Charles, taken aback, immediately threw down the sheets in his hand and instructed loudly, “Prepare the horse!”

“Sir, your horse is already prepared,” the junior clerk, quick to anticipate Charles’s actions, had predicted his need.

Charles donned his coat, mounted his horse, and galloped straight to the manor’s guesthouse.

Arriving at the entrance in a cloud of dust, he dismounted before his horse had even come to a full stop, then quickly straightened his clothes.

With a radiant smile, he called out joyfully, “Has the Lord returned? Ha-ha, I knew something was up when I heard the magpies chirping in the trees this morning; it must be because the Lord has come back!”

Russell had just changed into clean clothes and, upon seeing Charles, was in very high spirits, “Mr. Charles, you arrived very quickly.”

“Heh-heh, it’s been over a month since I saw the Lord, and I’ve truly missed you. So when I heard the news of your return, I hastened here to meet the Lord,” Charles said, laying on the flattery without any hint of reluctance.

“Take a seat,” Russell gestured.

The butler, William, brought over tea. Russell had just lifted it to his lips but hadn’t yet taken a sip when he heard loud cheers at the door.

“You’ve returned, Sir!” Hans entered with an ingratiating smile, “In these days you were away, Hans here has missed you terribly. Seeing you still so dashing and handsome, Hans can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”

Russell laughed heartily, “Come on, Hans, join us for a cup of tea first.”

“Yes, yes!” Hans scurried and promptly took a seat in the living room.

Charles saw this and slightly curled his lips, showing disdain for Hans’s sycophantic behavior. Yet, he also felt a rising sense of urgency, thinking to himself that this Hans was a dangerous rival, equally skilled in brown-nosing.

Russell took no notice of the subtle rivalry between Charles and Hans.

Familiar subordinates, a familiar atmosphere—it all restored the joy he felt as a Lord. He smiled and asked, “In the month and a half I was away, was everything in the territory ok? No issues, I hope?”

“Sir, the territory is thriving, and during your absence, we even collected our first harvest of glowing mushrooms, which was sent to Fluorescent Castle for making magic elixirs. While the quantity wasn’t large, with this first batch secured, a second will swiftly follow.”

Talking about the state of the territory, Charles became effusive, “Of course, the greatest news came from Fluorescent Castle, they said you obtained a tobacco sprite at Tributary River Mouth. By the Great Dragon’s gaze, when I heard this news, I nearly fainted with happiness!”

Russell listened with a smile.

Although Charles had a roundabout way of speaking, with a compliment fit in after every few sentences, Russell wasn’t annoyed.

Because this was his own territory, and Charles was reporting its condition to him; besides, the flattery was about himself, and it was pleasant to hear.

“… People from Fluorescent Castle came to instruct us on the cultivation of tobacco magic fields, so before your return, we have already cultivated 1,500 acres of tobacco magic fields, just atop the land of Magic Medicine Tun,” Charles continued.

Wuyao Snake Manor has about 300,000 acres of land area.

Apart from some rocky slopes unfit for farming, most of the land is arable, it’s just that much of it remains uncultivated.

And there were not enough serfs to till the land even if it was cultivated.

“This 1,500 acres will require a good number of serfs to farm. Charles, with these serfs allocated, will there be enough serfs left to cultivate sufficient grain?” Russell inquired. Magic medicines were important but so was the grain.

“This…” Charles hesitated and then said, “The serfs of the territory do have some complaints, as cultivating the tobacco magic fields has delayed a lot of the farming… But rest assured, Sir, following your instructions, the office has issued extra subsidies to the serfs!”

Hans also added, “Yes, Sir, although the serfs are a bit tired, they work with great vigor. The more they work, the more they earn, and with a goal to strive for, the fatigue seems like nothing. Even the children are eager to work.”

“Oh, that reminds me, Sir!” Charles said with a smile, “I almost forgot to report to you that the septic tanks and composting sites have provided their first batch of manure, and every household has received a share.”

“How has it been working?”

“It’s too soon to tell, as the manure has only just been buried in the ground. But unlike before when crops would burn from the roots, this time not a single plant has been harmed by the manure.”

“That’s good to hear. Just wait, and gradually the manure will show its power, and you’ll see that even waste can have tremendous strength.”

The discussion about the development of the territory was not yet finished.

One after another, more people arrived at the door, including Knight Commander Eric and the four knight attendants of Russell.

Along with the Wildcat Sisters, red-nosed Rudi, Ranger Halls, and others.

Officials of the territory had all come rushing over.

After a round of pleasantries, Russell called over the Tobacco Sprite Niko, and Rosy the mushroom bird followed as well; the two of them were very close now, always appearing together.

“Let’s go, everyone, we’ll head to the Tobacco Magic Medicine Field first to plant Niko’s cordyceps,” Russell said as he rose to lead the way.

Surrounded by the crowd, Russell soon arrived at Magic Medicine Tun.

One could see that most of the trees previously planted along the banks of the Glowing River had taken root. Leveraging the suitable climate of the warm season, they were growing rapidly and had already begun to resemble a forest.

The Tobacco Magic Medicine Field was a distance away from the forest, leaving enough space for the expansion of the woods.

With Rosy present, the territory would see an increasing number of Glowing Mushrooms, necessitating more forests for them to inhabit.

Arriving at the site, the tobacco seeds had just been sown and had yet to sprout.

So the entire 1,500 acres lay barren; Russell walked into the center of this wasteland.

Choosing a central location, he held up Niko and said with a smile, “Niko, go ahead and spit out the cordyceps right here.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t worry, soon the area will be covered with a great expanse of tobacco,” Russell said with a smile. “In the future, the magic version of Rain Dragon cigars will depend on your production.”

There was ordinary tobacco as a crop, as well as Magic Medicine Tobacco.

Nobles often smoked tobacco filled with magic medicine. Of course, most of the Magic Medicine Tobacco was used to make Magic Elixirs, and only a small portion was extravagantly turned into tobacco by the nobility to smoke.

For example, Count Merlin, who only smoked magic medicine tobacco, naturally also needed magic cigars provided for him, or else it wouldn’t live up to the significant sponsorship he had given Russell for this Tobacco Sprite.

“Goo-goo,” Niko, having received Russell’s instruction, opened her little mouth and gently spat out a glowing seed.

The seed was tiny, but once it hit the ground, it quickly took root and sprouted at a speed visible to the naked eye, growing into a tobacco plant taller than a human. The giant tobacco leaves were lush and dewy, with a rich aura of magic power swirling around them.

“It’s so beautiful!” exclaimed Charles in awe from the side.

“Jack,” Russell called out to one of his knight attendants, “You are the Captain of the Birch Forest Cordyceps Guard Squad. This tobacco cordyceps is now under your protection, take good care of it.”

Jack immediately beat his chest with his right hand in salute, “Rest assured, Sir, the cordyceps is more important than my own life!”