Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 184 - 184 183 Mating

Chapter 184: Chapter 183 Mating Chapter 184: Chapter 183 Mating The Red-eyed Rat King returned, and the rat infestation at Wuyao Snake Manor was quelled once more; not a single one of the previously frenzied rodents dared to make a peep.

When they were hungry, they would go to the feeding station to nibble on leftovers, and when full, they would scatter throughout the territory searching for treasures.

The Treasure-Hunting Rat Squad and the Sentinel Rat Squad had their frameworks successfully established; they were only waiting for the day the Red-eyed Rat King would be contracted, and then they could be managed in greater detail.

“I’ve made up my mind, Red-eyed.”

“Squeak, squeak.”

“Once I’m promoted to Great Knight and have perfected the cultivation of the Battle Qi Chains, I’ll contract with you and make you my contracted Fantasy Beast!” Russell’s gaze was calm, his training progress outstripping that of the four Knight Attendants and advancing by leaps and bounds every day.

Excavating the minor meridians was much easier and quicker than opening the main meridians.

I had previously thought it would be a good choice to let one of the more promising Knight Attendants contract with the Red-eyed Rat King, but who would have thought that the rate at which the Knight Attendants cultivated would be so far surpassed by my own?

So, it would seem that the title of “Rat Knight” can only be borne by me.

“It may not sound all that pleasant, but no matter how you slice it, you’re a Beast King, Red-eyed. Your status is set in stone; it’s a fair deal.”

“Squeak, squeak.”

“That settles it then, Red-eyed.”

Of course, what Russell valued in the Red-eyed Rat King was not merely its status as a Beast King, but more importantly, the increasingly powerful Magic-Bloodthirsty Flicker.

As the Red-eyed Rat King developed and grew stronger, the frequency and distance of the Bloodthirsty Flicker greatly increased and could already be considered a sort of divine ability. Such formidable magic, if contracted to someone else, would be hard for Russell to part with.

And among his subordinates, the four Knight Attendants would probably have to toil for a few more years before they could be promoted to Great Knight.

Russell couldn’t wait that long.

“Morris, have the maids sprinkle some breadcrumbs and feed these rats,” Russell ordered the butler as he looked at the swarming mass of rats in front of the manor’s side court.

Soon after, several maids, holding torn breadcrumbs, came over with trepidation and began feeding the rats.

Rats are truly a bit frightening.

Once the maids finished feeding the breadcrumbs, Russell said to the Red-eyed Rat King, “Alright, disperse your children and grandchildren. Those that need to treasure hunt should go treasure hunt, and those that need to patrol should go patrol. Don’t wreak havoc in the manor, and you’re not allowed to gnaw on the crops either.”

“Squeak, squeak,” Red-eyed took the command.

It then let out a piercing squeal toward the dense mass of rats, and instantly, the rats that had converged from all directions scattered once again into everywhere.

Only a pile of rat droppings was left behind.

Russell looked at it with distaste and frowned, “Next time you gather your children and grandchildren, remember to pick a different place. Don’t contaminate the entrance of the house.”

“Squeak, squeak.”

“Sir, your Red-eyed Rat King truly is a great treasure,” Charles said enviously from the side.

Russell then smiled with squinted eyes, “Do you like it? If you can be promoted to Great Knight, I will also give you a Fantasy Beast for you to contract.”

At these words, Charles’s mouth twitched and then he began to smile bitterly, “I’d better not set my sights on a Fantasy Beast. I’ve already neglected my Battle Qi cultivation for more than a decade; it’s really beyond picking up again. I’m quite content being able to help you manage the affairs of the territory, Sir.”

Stimulated by Eric’s promotion to Phantom Beast Knight, Charles had often fantasized about being promoted to Phantom Beast Knight as well, so much so that he attempted to resume his training in private.

Alas.

Every time he practiced cultivating Battle Qi, he would feel a pain in his meridians akin to being pierced by needles, a result of the meridians becoming rigid. The deeper the cultivation, the more severe the needle-like pain became.

Unless one had great willpower to endure this period of pain and reactivate the meridians, the discomfort could not be dissipated.

But clearly, Charles was not one with great willpower, so he soon reconciled with himself and no longer endured such pain.

“Everyone has their own mission, Mr. Charles, and perhaps yours is to help me manage the territory’s affairs,” Russell consoled him.

He then ordered a servant to prepare a horse, ready to inspect the manor once more.

After such a long time away, he wanted to take a close look at the changes throughout the estate, starting with the Black Pig Farm located in Lentil Hamlet.

“Master.” Mr. Brown, who was in charge of the pigs, was in much better spirits than when he lived in the estate’s annex.

“How are the black pigs?”

Mr. Brown replied, “They are growing very strong, master. In another two months, this black pig should be ready to breed. But all the piglets in the farm are its siblings, so it can’t mate with them. We’ll need to buy a batch of sows.”

Currently, besides one Golden Black sow and the ten Golden Black piglets it had borne, there was only this black pig in the farm.

Obviously, that wasn’t sufficient to establish a stable breeding line of Primordial Beasts.

“Then go buy some.” Russell said to Charles, who accompanied him, “Arrange for someone to go into town and buy a batch of gilts to bring back. Let’s first try breeding the black pig with common breeds to see if they can continue to produce Primordial Beast piglets.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Additionally, I will write a letter to my aunt later, asking her to help me buy a dozen or so Golden Black sows.” Russell said.

His aunt, Ruby Glowshroom, was married to Baron Gold Davis Golden Cap.

And the Golden Black pigs were precisely the specialty of Baron Gold’s territory, the Golden Prairie. It wouldn’t be too troublesome for Russell to ask for a dozen or so Golden Black sows as her nephew, and he might even be gifted them for free.

After all.

She was his close aunt and uncle.

In the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, there were few grand nobles, and marital ties were complex and intertwined; Russell could claim relatives wherever he went.

“That would be best, sir.” Charles happily accepted the command.

“Brown, take good care of the black pig, but don’t let it just live on feed. It needs to be raised free-range to ensure its good health.”

“As you wish, master.”

After inspecting the Black Pig Farm, Russell and his subordinates headed straight to Bear Honeybee Farm located in Magic Medicine Tun.

Big-bearded Kenny and his wife bowed deeply when they saw Russell.

Russell cut to the chase: “How has the Bear Honeybee situation developed? How many queen bees do we have now?”

“Sir, when the Bear Honeybees were first collected, we had already split off one queen bee. Although there’s plenty of food this season, the queens seem to be breeding slowly. So far, I… I still haven’t managed to raise a new queen bee,” said Kenny with a guilty expression.

Kenny had thumped his chest with bold promises to quickly enhance the Bear Honeybees, but several months had passed without a single new queen bee raised.

Russell frowned, “Find out the reason as soon as possible. If there are difficulties, seek advice from the town’s bee farm… With only two Bear Honeybee colonies, they probably don’t produce enough honey even for their consumption. When will I be able to have some!”

He had also promised Lola that she could have as much honey as she wanted.

Considering the current situation, with such a small amount of honey from the Bear Honeybees, Lola might not even get to taste it before she gets married.

Big-bearded Kenny immediately replied, very anxiously, “Sir, please rest assured, I will definitely manage to raise the queen bee soon and try to do another splitting this year!”

Kenny’s wife chimed in, “Sir, Kenny invited his master to look at our bees. His master is the senior technician of the town’s bee farm. We have been studying the beekeeping methods together, we will make it work!”

“Hmm.” Russell knew that this was a new species of bee and raising a Primordial Beast breed would definitely be challenging.

So he softened his tone a bit, “Study the breeding techniques carefully, don’t be afraid to try, and tell Chancellor of Records Charles if you need anything. In short, properly raise the Bear Honeybees, and if you and your husband do a great service, I will not be stingy with rewards.”

After a bit of pressure, followed by some encouragement, Russell was satisfied with his inspection of the Bear Honeybee Farm.

Looking up at the sky, evening was approaching.

The sunset clung to Curved Blade Mountain, but the views on this side were uniquely pleasant.

Stretching contentedly on horseback, Russell then called out, “Charles, gather the officials to attend a banquet this evening!”

“Heh heh, since the sir has been honored as a Scholar, we must celebrate.” Charles turned his horse, “I’ll go notify them immediately.”