Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 199 - 199 198 Charlies Worries

Chapter 199: Chapter 198: Charlie’s Worries Chapter 199: Chapter 198: Charlie’s Worries That night, Russell found another excuse to camp at Wolf Head Skylight in Grotto Village, then set out to search the snowfields for Snow Ghosts in the dark.

But alas,

The vast snowfield was pitch black and revealed not a single trace of Snow Ghosts.

“This is the warm season, Ice Cream, Snow Ghosts have all retreated back into their lairs… You ask me where the lair is, I have no idea where it is, but it’s probably tens of thousands of miles away from here,” Russell looked out into the dark world beyond the Quiet Dream Clone, his tone resigned.

It is said that Snow Ghosts have nests of their own, that some Snow Ghosts even retain fragments of their memories from when they were alive, constructing castles in the snow.

They even manage to collect treasures that dead people left on the snowfields, hiding them in the depths of their lairs.

Russell had read many knight novels, where protagonists with their Knight Regiments fought valiantly across the snowfields, found the Ghost Lair, and came out thoroughly enriched. Upon returning home, they would be promoted and even marry princesses, receiving the favor of Great Dragons and thus reaching the pinnacle of their lives.

Too bad he wasn’t into dreaming; otherwise, he would often think of those Snow Ghost lairs, sweeping them clean in his dreams.

“Gah!”

“Don’t worry, be patient, we will eventually raid the snowfields and clear out the Ghost Lair, and then I will let you eat until you’re stuffed!”

The next morning, upon waking up, Russell confirmed that there were no more solitary Snow Ghosts around Glowing Valley, and thus, he did not plan to continue camping in Grotto Village.

“It seems that Mr. Ross has eradicated all the Snow Ghosts in the vicinity,” he thought silently as he rode his mount, a black horse. “This Clay Dragon often goes out for walks, clearly not aimlessly, but to hunt Snow Ghosts.”

Bipedal Flying Dragons do not eat Ice Pellet Pearls, nor do they consume Ice Soul Pearls.

But perhaps it’s in their nature, the force of the land and the energy of the Snow Demon are polar opposites, and Bipedal Flying Dragons love to hunt Snow Ghosts.

This is also why Bipedal Flying Dragons can become the vanguard of humans blazing trails through the snowfields and waging war.

Before long, the warhorse was galloping along Charcoal Dust Road towards the small marketplace.

Most of the land in the small marketplace was deserted, but with the renovation of the farmers’ market and Russell’s continuous generosity toward serfs, more and more people began bringing their goods to sell, including eggs, sheep milk curd, rabbit meat, and even insects.

However, their customers were not fellow serfs, but officials and their families like Charles and Eric.

The manor’s kitchen maids would also regularly come here to purchase goods.

Upon seeing Russell’s arrival, the serfs stood up and bowed to him. They had to bow at a ninety-degree angle; bowing even a degree less could lead to Law Enforcers catching them and giving them a beating—except for the elderly with health issues.

Russell merely glanced at the bowing serfs and rode away on his horse.

It was only a long while after he had left that Charlie, who was bowing at the entrance of the Temporary Office, carefully straightened up.

Last time he didn’t bow properly, the public security patrol caught him, and he ended up receiving several lashings, leaving bloody welts on his backside.

“Phew, praise be to the lord,” Charlie watched as Russell’s party disappeared into the distance, letting out a sigh of relief, “The lord is so generous and kind, but how come he’s recruited all those local ruffians into the public security patrols? Those minions are truly vicious!”

“Hey Charlie, what are you muttering about over there?” Suddenly a serf recognized Charlie.

“Ah, I’ve got some business at the Temporary Office,” said Charlie nervously, looking around to make sure no members of the public security patrol were in sight.

Then, with a smile plastered on his face, he said to the newcomer: “You go about your business.”

He then stepped into the Temporary Office.

“Who are you looking for?” the clerk asked Charlie as soon as he saw him.

“Ah, I’m looking for… I’m looking for Lord Charles, who said that if the villagers have trouble, they can come to him.”

“Lord Charles deals with major affairs, he has no time for your trivial problems. Go to your village elder.”

“Heipite the village elder doesn’t do his job!” Charlie said angrily, mentioning the village elder. “He says my yard is encroaching on the lord’s land, so he won’t let me cut down the strange tree. But if I don’t cut it, the tree will soon uproot my house.”

“What strange tree?” the confused clerk asked, “Can it really push over your house?”

“It’s really a strange tree. It started out only this size, but soon it grew several meters tall, spreading everywhere. I can’t plant my vegetables, and it’s even growing in the corners of my house,” Charlie tried to describe the terror of the strange tree, but his description was all over the place.

The clerk couldn’t understand but also didn’t take the matter seriously: “Go back and ask your serfs’ overseer to fix your house for you.”

“They don’t take care of it. They help you with field matters, but not with household issues,” Charlie pleaded, “Young man, could you please call for Lord Charles, just once? The last time he inspected our hamlet, he said to come to him if we were in trouble.”

“Lord Charles doesn’t have so much spare time to help you cut trees,” the clerk said impatiently.

While they were arguing, Charles had finished his business and returned. Seeing the commotion, he barked, “What’s going on here!”

“Ah, Sir, this old man claimed part of the lord’s land for his vegetable garden. Some trees grew in it and are causing him trouble, and now he wants to seek your help to cut them down. I was just sending him away,” the clerk explained immediately.

“It’s not that, not that. It’s a strange tree, not a normal one!” Charlie quickly waved his hands in denial, “I didn’t take the lord’s land; that land was allocated to us by the hamlet for our vegetable garden.”

“A strange tree?” As the Chancellor of Records, Charles was very sensitive. “What strange tree?”

Charlie gestured exaggeratedly with his hands and feet to describe the strange tree, which successfully piqued Charles’s interest.

He decided then and there, “It can grow several meters tall in just a few days? Interesting. Someone, prepare my horse. I will go to Wheat Hamlet and see this strange tree for myself.”

When they arrived at Charlie’s home in Wheat Hamlet.

Before them stood the patch of strange trees Charlie had described: they shot up straight, section by section, several meters high and were not very thick, only slightly thicker than a finger. Although the strange trees also branched, they lacked the wide boughs of large trees, having only thin twigs.

“What kind of tree is this?” wondered Charles, approaching the trees with curiosity, unrecognizable as any plant he knew.

As he touched them and concentrated his Battle Qi, he exclaimed, “Cordyceps! This is cordyceps!”

“Quick, quick, report to the Lord… no, no, no, you all stay here and guard, where’s the village elder? Go get Heipite over here, protect these strange trees, don’t touch a single leaf!” Charles mounted his horse, “I’ll report to the Lord myself!”

His horse’s hooves thundered as he sped from Wheat Hamlet to the estate’s annex, now renamed Cigar Courtyard.

“Sir!” Charles dismounted his horse, running to where Russell was cultivating his Battle Qi, “Great Dragon’s gaze, Great Dragon’s gaze, Sir, on the estate’s land, another cordyceps has sprung forth!”

“What?” Russell was taken aback.

Charles said loudly, “It’s a very strange tree, rich with magic power, no doubt it’s cordyceps!”

Russell’s eyebrows shot up, “Has it already nurtured Spirit Insects, or is it in the process? Are the Spirit Insects protected?”

“Uh… whether there are Spirit Insects, that requires your personal investigation, Sir.” In his excitement, Charles had completely forgotten to check whether the strange tree had birthed any Spirit Insects, “I’ve already had the cordyceps protected.”

Russell, upon hearing this, immediately straightened his clothes, “I’ll go take a look myself!”