Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 185 - 185 184 Freemen Defect

Chapter 185: Chapter 184: Freemen Defect Chapter 185: Chapter 184: Freemen Defect At the night’s banquet, Ranger Hauls brought some good news.

“Sir, in recent times, the trade market of the Glowing Caverns has successfully gained the trust of the Cavern Freemen, and the trade volume has increased tremendously,” Hauls, the market manager, said proudly, “The trade quota could account for half of the entire Glowing Valley Caverns.”

“Half, eh? Not bad, but we still need to keep promoting it, and strive to pull all the trade between the caverns to our market.”

“Rest assured, Sir, I will devote all my energy to getting this done,” Hauls said. “Moreover, recently more than a hundred Freemen have been attracted by the welfare treatment of our territory, and after ensuring they have no criminal records, they have joined our manor!”

“Is that so, not bad.” Russell smiled, as the territory was in dire need of population, “But it’s still not enough; we need to continue to appeal to more people.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Charles took a sip of wine, savored it with delight, and then said with a smile, “Sir, do you know if Red Castle has relaxed the restrictions on the serf trade this year? If possible, we should still buy a batch of serfs from the Volcanic Oasis.”

“It’s still unclear, but I will write to my elder brother Roland; Roland is now working at the Grand Duke’s side and will be very clear about this.”

In fact, not only did Russell lack population, but Baron Roman did as well.

The vast expanse of Glowing Valley, nearly three to four million mu of land needed cultivation, but, at best, there were only sixty thousand people, not enough to farm it, leaving most of the land deserted as wasteland and forest.

Wuyao Snake Manor did not have many forests, but had plenty of wasteland, especially the sloping lands near Curved Blade Mountain and Sharp Knife Mountain, which lay fallow.

Thus, both father and son lacked serfs for farming.

“As long as the Grand Duke lifts the serf trade restrictions, not only can we buy serfs, but we can certainly attract many Freemen to join us,” Charles said.

Russell raised his glass to Charles and then asked, “Why?”

“You, Sir, are the reason why Freemen would flock to us,” Charles argued earnestly and flattered, “Firstly, you treat Freemen just as you treat regular serfs, fairly and equally, which the Wildcat sisters and the three Cavern Rangers can attest to.”

The Wildcat sisters couldn’t help but nod; life under the sun was even better than they had hoped for.

Hauls also nodded. Following Lone Wolf Lisbon through the caverns, no matter how imposing they were, they were still a group of cave rats that needed to hide. But now, he had become an official of the Wuyao Snake Manor, and even the serfs greeted him with respect.

The difference was like heaven and earth.

Charles continued, “Secondly, and most importantly, Sir, you have two Little Sprites! In the entire Shadowflame Grand Duchy, no Lord or Baron is richer than you, nor has a brighter future!”

Russell stroked his chin and deeply agreed with Charles’s words.

With two Little Sprites in hand, his wealth alone was almost on par with the savings of several generations of his family.

With such a strong foundation, if he didn’t prosper, who would!

“So, Sir, your reputation will surely attract a large number of Freemen to join us, and what’s more attractive will probably be the craftsmen among the Freemen. I believe these skilled craftsmen will prefer to follow a Lord with a promising future!”

“You make a good point,” Russell nodded.

He immediately instructed Hauls, “When you return, make a good promotional plan to attract enough serfs, Freemen, and Freemen artisans to join us. If you do this well, I will recognize it as a great achievement.”

The art of wishful thinking was something Russell had become quite adept at.

Hauls immediately thumped his chest, “Please rest assured, Sir, I will certainly live up to your trust!”

Russell then looked at the others and said with a smile, “As long as each of you does your job well, you are achieving greatness in my eyes. I, Russell Fluorescent Fungus, am not a stingy Lord; I am willing to share my glory with everyone!”

Then he raised his glass, “Come, everyone, let’s drink this glass to the full, to the future that holds better promises for us!”

“Under the Great Dragon’s watch, I wish for the Sir to ride a dragon soon!” Charles called out.

So the officials joined in shouting, “Under the Great Dragon’s watch, I wish for the Sir to ride a dragon soon!”

As the wine went down his throat, it was sweet and mellow.

Russell watched the gem light fixtures on the ceiling with his eyes half-closed, feeling an irrepressible sense of pride welling up inside him and thought to himself, “Riding a dragon… Isn’t that just a matter of time? And not only will I ride a Flying Dragon, but I will also ride a Great Dragon!”

No.

It’s true that he had ridden a great dragon, but regrettably, it was only in his dreams and he hadn’t been able to bond with the Little Dream Dragon.

Setting down his wine glass, the M-shaped mark in the palm of his left hand tingled slightly—Russell knew it was the slumbering Little Dream Dragon responding to him.

Sooner or later.

One day he’d become a lofty Dragon Knight, standing at the pinnacle of strength on Dragon Sleep Continent, and savour a different kind of view.

The servant came over to pour wine.

With his glass refilled, Russell raised it high once more, “To victory!”

“To victory!”

“To victory!”

…

That night, the Little Dream Dragon was still digesting the Ice Soul Pearl and didn’t appear.

Thus, Russell dreamt many odd dreams that night—some were terrifying, some warm, some uplifting, and even some with a touch of color.

However, when he woke up in the morning, most of the dreams were forgotten in a corner, with only one dream slightly lingering in his memory.

In the dream, he transformed into a Dragon Knight and swept away the Snow Giants on Dragon Sleep Continent. He even found the legendary Frost Titan and, after battling it for three hundred rounds, he successfully beheaded his foe and stepped through a gate to another world.

For a brief moment as the gate swung open, he saw his homeland.

“Sigh… I kind of miss home,” Russell leaned against the headboard, silent for a while before finally pulling the bell rope.

Ding ding ding.

The maids knocked and entered, with the fair-faced Head Maid Leona greeting him enthusiastically, “Good morning, Sir, you look even more handsome today than you did yesterday.”

Russell’s spirits, slightly dampened by homesickness, quickly soared again, and he responded with a smile, “I have the same feeling.”

He got up, washed, and changed his clothes.

Dressed in a training outfit, Russell had a self-service breakfast downstairs and then, picking up his fine steel longsword, he went to the open space in front of the manor’s separate courtyard.

Mr. Eric had just finished his breakfast and hurried over, while Kevin was still hungry and went straight to the kennel to wait for his breakfast provided by the separate courtyard—the ownership of Kevin still belonged to Russell.

Only after Mr. Eric had been granted a Lordship would the Phantom Beast Knight be given to him by Russell, becoming his personal property.

At this point, not to mention Mr. Eric’s bonded Fantasy Beast, even the warhorses ridden by the Knight Attendants were owned by Russell.

So whether it was the knights, the warhorses, or the fantasy beasts, all required Russell’s support—he had the responsibility as a Lord, or else why would the knights swear their lives to him?

“Mr. Eric, let’s practice a bit,” Russell confidently invited, for his strength had undergone a significant change since the old days.

Mr. Eric looked mildly surprised and responded in a low voice, “Alright.”

“I’ve had a stroke of luck recently, and my strength has increased greatly. Eric, be spirited and ready to counter, don’t let me injure you!” Russell casually twirled a sword flower in his hand and then, like an arrow, dashed towards Eric.

What he relied on was not only his abundant Battle Qi, but also the sword in his hand, and the swordsmanship that even Count Merlin admitted was beyond his own.

Just one strike.

Eric broke out into a cold sweat, Russell’s tremendous improvement in strength made him dare not underestimate him any more.

He immediately responded in a low voice, “Sir, I will go all out!”

Clang!

The two fine steel longswords collided fiercely, and then two figures quickly intertwined, swords dancing and sparks flying.