Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 204 - 204 203 Dark Gold Pig

Chapter 204: Chapter 203: Dark Gold Pig Chapter 204: Chapter 203: Dark Gold Pig Russell took on the task of following the Thunderbeast to pull the carriage and escort the goods. Just before departure, to his surprise, he was visited by Lord Dave Golden Cap.

“The lady’s letter was sent out ahead of the caravan, and I set off with a few swineherds shortly after, so that’s why I arrived two days later than the letter.”

After arriving at the estate’s guesthouse, Lord Dave said with a smile, “Baron Davis, Sir, is very interested in the black pigs on your land. The meat of the Golden Black Pigs from our Golden Prairie is famous throughout the entire Shadowflame Grand Duchy, but the most regrettable part is that it isn’t Primordial Beast meat.”

No matter how delicious regular pork is, it’s just a food for filling the belly.

But meat from bred Primordial Beasts is an essential nutrient for knights, and the value of the two is worlds apart.

“Now we have an opportunity to change the breed of the Golden Black Pig.” Russell laughed.

“Indeed, this is a great hope. Therefore, Baron Davis, Sir, allowed me to bring a few swineherds over, along with ten just-matured Golden Black sows to participate in the breeding program for the new variety of black pigs.”

The swineherds Lord Dave brought were all serf technicians specializing in pig breeding.

After having a cup of tea, Russell went with Lord Dave to the black pig farm, so that these technician swineherds could see the black pigs for themselves.

Upon arrival,

the technician swineherds immediately crowded around the black pigs. The black pigs had already grown to almost the same size as mature Golden Black Pigs. The Golden Black piglets from the same litter were only two-thirds of its size, but it wasn’t considered a fully grown pig yet.

“Mr. Brown, are this black pig and these Golden Black piglets from the same litter?” one of the technician swineherds asked Mr. Brown, the pigman of the black pig farm.

Mr. Brown immediately replied, “Yes, they’re all sired by this Golden Black sow. They’ve just been raised separately.”

“Tsk, tsk, they are from the same mother, but the difference between them is too big,” one technician swineherd marveled. “Look at this black piglet, it has a robust physique, even stronger than a wild boar, especially its bristles—prickles like steel needles!”

“And the reproductive organs are very large, plus two sizable testicles, absolutely good for breeding. It seems there is a strong chance for it to become a new breed of bred Primordial Beast!”

“Check the teeth and calculate the time, it still has more than half a month to reach maturity,” another technician swineherd calculated. “During this period, we mustn’t let it come into early contact with the Golden Black sows. We need to train it well to enhance its breeding capacity.”

“Correct, that’s the idea.”

“Its exercise needs to be stepped up. It should be made to run for at least an hour or two every day, but the feed should be slightly reduced. Look at the feed trough over here, the food is too much and too refined. No, we must change to a more mixed diet for it.”

The technician swineherds discussed the breeding pig cultivation plan around the black pig, all talking over each other.

Mr. Brown was somewhat at a loss. Although he was in charge of the black pig farm, he really couldn’t compare with these technician swineherds in pig farming.

Luckily, Russell said, “Mr. Brown, these technician swineherds will be staying here from now on. The dormitory for the pig farm is also built. You’ll be responsible for arranging their accommodations, and have the farm’s apprentices serve one swineherd each and at the same time learn from them.”

The pig farm had several young apprentices.

These were arrangements Russell had made quite early on in anticipation of expanding the pig farm’s scale, which would inevitably require a large number of pig farmers.

Now was a good time for the apprentices of the pig farm to learn techniques from the technician swineherds who came from the Golden Prairie.

Lord Dave also said with a smile, “Do your best to cultivate the black pigs here, and don’t be stingy with your pig farming techniques. Take the time to train the farm’s apprentices well.”

“Yes, Lord Dave,” the technician swineherds responded.

“Oh right, Lord Russell, Baron Davis, Sir, also charged me with another matter to discuss with you.”

“Please speak.”

“Sir thinks that ‘black pig’ isn’t a good-sounding name and if the black pig really turns out to be a successful breed, he would like it to reflect its excellent lineage from the Golden Black Pig. If possible, he hopes to rename the black pig to ‘Dark Gold Pig’.”

“Dark Gold Pig?” Russell frowned slightly.

He didn’t think the name was any better than the Black Pig he had come up with. The pig in the sty was pitch black; it rightfully should be called a Black Pig, which sounded much more credible and elegant.

However,

Baron Davis was still his uncle after all, and since he wanted the Black Pig to reflect the lineage of the Golden Black Pig, renaming it as Dark Gold Pig seemed acceptable as well.

After all, the Black Pig truly did originate from the bloodline of the Golden Black Pig.

So after a moment’s thought, he nodded and agreed, “That’s fine.”

“Haha, thank you,” Baron Davis continued. “Of course, sir also has a small request. Once these ten Golden Black Sows bear offspring, Golden Top Castle will take half of the piglets.”

“Fair enough, I agree.”

Even among nobility, even with relatives, interests must always be considered first. Baron Davis’s gift of ten Golden Black Pigs was meant to help him breed the Dark Gold Pig variety.

Russell naturally had to reciprocate and share half of the Dark Gold Piglets.

But he proposed an additional condition, “I hope these pig breeders can stay in my territory a bit longer, to teach the apprentices how to raise pigs and breed them. Oh, and they can castrate pigs, right? I hope they can teach the apprentices how to do that.”

Castrating pigs means to neuter them, to remove the testicles or ovaries.

Pigs that are not castrated don’t get fat; once neutered, they can focus on eating, drinking, and sleeping, without getting restless during mating season, growing bigger and fatter as a result.

Moreover, uncastrated boars develop a rank smell in their meat as they grow, making it unpleasant to eat.

“No problem,” Lord Dave readily agreed. “Piglets can’t withstand the cold during travel. Let’s do this: those breeders can stay on your land until this batch of Dark Gold Piglets grows up, and they can return with them.”

“Good.”

So the matter of the Dark Gold Pigs was decided.

The details would naturally be handled by Charles and the others. Russell and Lord Dave strolled around the territory, but they didn’t stay overnight at Wuyao Snake Manor.

Instead, they went with Russell to Fluorescent Castle for a banquet.

It just so happened that Russell was also due to follow the caravan to the Snowfield, to escort a thunder beast-drawn carriage, so he set off for Fluorescent Castle with Eric, Halls, and the newly recruited follower, Big Dumb Bear Grof, to wait for departure.

The group arrived in front of the towering gate of Fluorescent Castle.

Russell and Lord Dave led the way, talking and laughing as they passed through the gate.

Eric, followed by Kevin the Gold and Silver Wolfhound, kept his head down and continued on the road, but behind him, Halls and Big Dumb Bear Grof seemed particularly excited.

Halls, born a serf, had eloped with his wife in his early years, fleeing to Glowing Valley, where they had been living in Grotto Village all along. He had never before seen such a magnificent castle from such a close range, and tonight, he would be staying there.

As for Big Dumb Bear Grof, his expression was mixed. Fluorescent Castle reminded him of the life he once had on his estate in Volcanic Oasis.

But the memory was fleeting and didn’t linger long in his mind.

He was someone who adapted easily. He could live in Volcanic Oasis or survive in Wildman Cave. Of course, now that he had been recruited by Russell to start a brand new life, he would earnestly make the most of his current life as well.