Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 183 - 183 182 Return of the Rat King

Chapter 183: Chapter 182: Return of the Rat King Chapter 183: Chapter 182: Return of the Rat King “Today, a scholar by the name of Russell has invented reading glasses, the ingenuity of which is to be admired, bringing benefit to all elders suffering from presbyopia. Evaluated and approved by the Grand Scholar Roundtable, he is recognized as a Grand Scholar and his expertise has been presented to the Grand Duke for review.”

Captain Lucas, standing on a high platform made of a wooden table, read aloud the decree of his title grant, “The Grand Duke’s reply goes as follows…”

He paused for a moment.

Glancing at the surrounding peasants, who appeared utterly confused, Lucas knew they probably had not understood a word he said.

Firstly, his accent was off, and secondly, the language of official documents was evidently different from spoken language, with many words the peasants had never even heard before.

But this did not inhibit him from continuing to read, “By the grace of the Great Dragon, the Grand Duke of Shadowflame Duchy, steward of Shadowflame Volcano, and the sole master of the warm lands of the Snowfield, Kunstan Shadowflame, hereby officially grants Russell Fluorescent Fungus the title of Grand Scholar.”

“The path of erudition is mysterious and infinite. Today, Russell is suited to explore it. You are exhorted to do so!”

After reading the final sentence of the title grant decree, Lucas handed the document over to Russell.

There was no need for a kneeling ceremony, as Shadowflame Duchy did not observe the custom of treating reading the decree as an audience with a ruler. Receiving the title grant decree, Russell simply bowed in acknowledgment.

He then generously expressed a few words, “I thank the Grand Duke for his trust and the Grand Scholar Roundtable for their recognition. The path of scholarship is vast and boundless; as Russell Fluorescent Fungus, I will undoubtedly live up to the Grand Duke’s expectations and the Roundtable’s entrustment, continuing to delve into scholarly pursuits!”

Following this, he passed the decree on to Charles.

Charles immediately grasped the situation, loudly proclaiming to the peasants, “Under the watchful eye of the Great Dragon, and with the blessing of the shining light, the Grand Duke has sent his decree, bestowing upon Lord Russell the title of Grand Scholar!”

“Grand Scholar!” The peasants looked at one another, still not comprehending but sensing the weight of the title.

Charles continued to shout, “What is a Grand Scholar? ‘Grand’ signifies greatness, ‘Scholar’ implies wisdom; a Grand Scholar is thus one with great wisdom! The status of a Grand Scholar is equivalent to that of a Lord; one represents knowledge, the other valor, both are the bedrock of Shadowflame Duchy!”

“Lord?”

The peasants quickly grasped the concept, their own master was a lordly landowner, and this Grand Scholar was equivalent to a lordly landowner, essentially meaning they now had two lords.

Thus, the astute peasants immediately concluded, “Our master has acquired another manor!”

“Heavens, our master must be the illegitimate son of a Great Dragon, our master has two Little Sprites, and now two manors as well!”

“Our master will lead us to better days!”

“Praise be to our master!”

“Our master is a Grand Scholar, it’s simply inconceivable!”

The peasants cheered one after another, basking in the reflected glory of their lordly master, rightly feeling honored themselves. Most importantly, they knew that soon they would be receiving their reward payment.

And sure enough.

Overjoyed, Russell immediately instructed Charles, “Reward each resident of my domain with two copper coins!”

The small marketplace erupted into excitement.

“Praise be to our master!”

“Under the Great Dragon’s watch, our master will soon ride a dragon!”

“Our master is the kindest and most generous in all the land!”

“Old George praises our master!”

The peasants’ praises this time were even more sincere than before, and the atmosphere of the small market grew more lively than earlier.

After reveling for a moment, Russell beckoned, “Captain Lucas, three envoys, let us return to the manor’s annex for a cup of tea.”

“Good, we are indebted to Your Lordship.”

“Not at all; you have traversed a long distance to bring me this title grant decree, so it is only right that I express my gratitude to you.” While inviting the delegation back to the manor annex, Russell discreetly signaled to Charles with a look.

Charles promptly caught on and went down to consult with Butler Morris, deciding to take out some money as a token of appreciation for the delegation.

This mission had not only brought the title grant decree but also the Grand Scholar’s robes, medals, and an identity document sealed by the Grand Scholar Roundtable and signed by the Grand Duke. Possession of this document guaranteed respectful treatment everywhere, and with it, one could seek an academic position at Red Castle. Any subsequent research topics could gain sponsorship from the Shadowflame family.

Of course, the topic first had to pass the review of the Grand Scholar Roundtable.

Regardless.

The title of scholar was a stepping stone to high society; in the Shadowflame Duchy, scholars were generally regarded as members of the nobility.

After the tea was drunk and the thank-you gifts collected,

Lucas’s attitude toward Russell became increasingly warm, but he had no intention of spending the night in the manor’s guesthouse: “Lord Russell, I need to return to Red Castle as soon as possible to report back to His Grace. I really cannot stay here any longer.”

“At least rest for the night before leaving; it will be dark soon.”

“I appreciate your kindness, but I have to rush to Great Wind Manor and set out early tomorrow morning,” Lucas insisted on leaving, “When you go to Red Castle, be sure to let me know, and then we can drink and be merry together!”

Russell did not press him further: “It’s a promise.”

The delegation was seen off.

Charles grinned and said, “Sir, your name will soon spread throughout the Grand Duchy, Scholar Lord Russell!”

“There are so many scholars; how could it possibly spread?” Russell laughed.

“Aside from reading out your ennoblement, the delegation will also be promoting your scholarly name every step of the way. In any case, it will boost your fame.”

“Such fame will dissipate in a puff of smoke,” Russell had a clear understanding of this. Even Grand Scholars were few who could become nationally famous, let alone a mere Scholar. He yawned and asked, “How’s the production of the Rain Dragon cigars coming along? Have you been paying attention to it?”

“Er, Fluorescent Castle is in charge of that. After the last visit when they inquired about Hans and others on how to make cigars, there’s been no news.”

“Didn’t you ask?”

“I did once, but… Sir, as you know, my status is somewhat lowly, and those in charge of the cigar workshop…,” Charles trailed off.

But his meaning was clear.

He was just a scribe of Wuyao Snake Manor; the person in charge at the cigar workshop simply did not respect him, and naturally would not pay him any heed.

Frowning, Russell said, “Tomorrow, you’ll come with me to the cigar workshop.”

Charles brightened up: “Yes, Sir!”

He then turned his head and saw the rat house outside the manor’s guesthouse and immediately remembered something, “Sir, there’s something we need to trouble the Red-eyed Lord for.”

“What is it?”

“During the Red-eyed Lord’s absence, the rats on the estate started to get out of control, and the serfs dare not kill them, resulting in the rats spoiling quite a bit of our grain.”

“Oh…” Russell gave an embarrassed smile.

This was indeed a miscalculation on his part. He had only been focused on establishing the Treasure-Hunting Rat Squad and Sentinel Rat Squad, and had forbidden the serfs from killing the rats.

As a result, after gallivanting at Tributary River Mouth for a month and even taking the Red-eyed Rat King with him, without the Rat King’s control, these less intelligent rats started to make trouble, directly leading to a widespread rat infestation on the estate.

Fortunately, without a Rat King’s leadership, the rats merely stole food and damaged furniture, not causing an infestation on the scale of that seen at Grotto Village before.

The losses were not great.

“Red-eye!” Russell walked to the front gate and called out softly.

The Red-eyed Rat King, gnawing on a bone, scurried over and sat at Russell’s feet like a dog.

Russell bent down and patted the Red-eyed Rat King on the head: “Don’t just focus on eating. It’s time to announce to your rat sons and grandsons the return of their King!”

“Squeak!” A flash of red light passed through the eyes of the Red-eyed Rat King.

Without any extra movement, it just looked up at the sky and let out a sharp, long shriek that could be heard for dozens of miles.

Shortly thereafter,

Russell saw rats emerging from every direction, running uniformly toward the manor’s guesthouse.