Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 275 - 275 274 Difficult Journey

Chapter 275: Chapter 274 Difficult Journey Chapter 275: Chapter 274 Difficult Journey Baron Roman left Red Castle, as he needed to return to his estate, taking Mr. Ross back with him to apologize at Red Castle.

However, he couldn’t decline the position of Finance Minister at the moment, so his elder brother Roland would temporarily fill in for him.

This also meant that Roland couldn’t accompany Russell to Blackgarden Mountain to visit Rolin, who was about to give birth.

“Please apologize to Rolin for me, I should be the one to visit her, but with father gone, someone has to take over the duties of the Volcanic Minister,” Roland has been quite subdued these past few days, not nearly as lively as before.

It seemed that Russell’s impending title of Flying Dragon Knight had hit him hard, making him appear somewhat listless, but on the other hand, he had also become much more mature and steady.

“Official duties are important. You stay at Red Castle with peace of mind, taking care of father’s worries. I will be enough to visit sister on my own,” said Russell.

“Did you prepare a gift for Rolin, and for the unborn nephew or niece?”

“I bought some gemstone jewelry for sister,” Russell said, “As for the nephew or niece, I plan to give a special gift. My Bear Honeybees in my estate have been well-cultivated and grown strong, so I plan to gift a swarm as a birth present.”

“Hmm, Bear Honeybees, indeed a Primordial Beast to breed… but since Rolin last gave you a Spirit Insect, gifting her child Bear Honey, is quite reasonable,” Roland commented.

He then took out a well-wrapped box and handed it to Russell, “I have also prepared gifts for Rolin and her child; they are all in this box. Please take it to her for me.”

“Alright.”

Russell took the box, feeling a sense of life within it, and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What is this gift?”

“It’s a Fantasy Beast egg, specifically a Long-tailed Pheasant Fantasy Beast egg,” Roland smiled, “This was actually a gift from Grand Duke Kunstan… I was planning to hatch it myself and then raise it to contract, but now I’ve decided to contract a Fantasy Beast as soon as possible.”

So he no longer planned to wait for the Long-tailed Pheasant Fantasy Beast egg to hatch.

After a pause, Roland continued, “Since you’re giving a bred Primordial Beast as a gift, I, as the elder brother, cannot have my gift be subpar.”

“Sister will be very happy.”

“Tell her that once I finish the affairs of the Volcanic Minister, I will definitely make time to visit her.”

“Understood.”

After stating this, the brothers fell into a silent atmosphere. Russell was not a man of many words, and normally, it was the elder brother Roland who took the lead in their interactions, but now, Roland had become much more silent than before.

After a while, Roland patted Russell on the shoulder and said, “Rolin is alone at Blackgarden Mountain, unlike before in Glowing Valley where everyone doted on her… so we are Rolin’s strong support, and you must tell her this.”

“Of course,” Russell smiled, “Soon, Rolin will be the sister of a Flying Dragon Knight.”

Upon hearing this, Roland’s lips twitched, and though he originally wanted to say more, now he didn’t want to say another word.

After their farewell.

Russell went to meet with cousin Mel.

As the chosen son, Mel had lately been busy with myriad tasks, and had to visit the grassroots level now and then to comfort and visit the disabled knights. So much so that even though he lived in Mel’s private tower, Russell found it hard to see him.

“Are you visiting Rolin? I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve forgotten that Rolin is about to give birth… Yeah, I’ll prepare a gift, and you can take it for me,” said Mel.

Mel prepared a gemstone longsword, which should very much suit Rolin, as she often enjoyed practicing with swords and blades.

She even thought about being promoted to Great Knight and then contracting a Fantasy Beast to become a female Fantasy Beast Knight.

However, after giving birth, with her vitality greatly diminished, Rolin’s journey in Battle Qi cultivation would most likely come to an end.

This is also a reason why female Fantasy Beast Knights are rare.

Women who have the conditions for cultivation mostly come from noble families, and daughters from such families are generally expected to marry and bear children. If a woman were to be promoted to Fantasy Beast Knight and then have children, she would be too old by then.

Moreover, after the merging of Battle Qi into Prime Breath, the body becomes too strong, which can affect the chances of becoming pregnant.

This is also why the second generation of Fantasy Beasts is so rare—finding another of the same Fantasy Beast is difficult, and even if one is found, a strong female may make it hard to successfully breed offspring.

But it’s not impossible, there’s still a chance to cultivate a second generation Fantasy Beast.

It’s just that this probability may be even lower than raising a group of ordinary wild beasts and hoping for a Fantasy Beast to be born among them.

Saying goodbye to Cousin Mel.

Russell, accompanied by Big Dumb Bear Grof, set out from Red Castle and headed northeast toward the Volcanic Oasis—Blackgarden Mountain was located at the northeastern corner of the Volcanic Oasis.

The journey went smoothly.

Although February and March were the coldest periods of the icy season, the Volcanic Oasis still enjoyed spring all year round, with only the periphery feeling like winter.

“Gah!”

Upon leaving the range of the Shadowflame Dragon’s power suppression, Little Dream Dragon started to perk up again, adventuring with Russell every night.

It was not until they reached the caverns at the boundary of the Volcanic Oasis that they truly felt the power of the icy period.

The entire cavern had been sealed by ice, and the original trade routes had become narrow and difficult to navigate, making it impossible for carriages to pass. Once they reached the snowfields above, the conditions worsened, with flying snow blanketing the sky and thick layers of snow engulfing the trade routes.

The ice and snow walls, clearly visible in the warm season, were now almost entirely covered, with only scattered watchtowers still exposed, vaguely marking the path.

“Bill, keep it up!” Grof shouted encouragement.

He chose not to ride a horse, but instead his contract partner, the Windblade Brown Bear Bill.

Bill’s massive body made it difficult to navigate the snow. Fortunately, as a Fantasy Beast, he was incredibly strong, and he’d been well-fed these past days, storing enough nutrition in his body to continuously create paths using his Windblade Magic.

“Roar!”

With a few breaths, Bill released several windblades that pierced through the snow ahead, creating a passage before plowing through it.

Watching Grof and Bill’s clumsy progress, Russell couldn’t help but admire once more that his contract partner, Unicorn Polly, was simply the perfect companion for a knight.

The journey was a breeze with her ability to fly, and the thick snow of the ice period had no effect on him at all.

“Sir, I’m holding you back,” Grof said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly as he watched Russell fly ahead only to stop and wait for him.

“No worries, just take it slow,” Russell replied, glancing ahead, “The Black Fire Trade Route is short; we can get through it in one day.”

The warm enclave of Blackgarden Mountain was very close to the Volcanic Oasis.

In the warm season, not only knights but also merchant caravans could cross the Black Fire Trade Route in a day, which is why there was frequent traffic with the Volcanic Oasis.

However, during the ice period, it was the same for everyone; caravans simply couldn’t traverse the trade route.

By the evening, the two had finally crossed the Black Fire Trade Route, and the moment they stepped down from the snowfield, the Windblade Brown Bear Bill could not help but let out a triumphant roar.

This journey had worn him out.

Polly glanced at Bill, without contempt but with a touch of disdain. The journey had been stop-and-go for her, quite dragging.

“Russell, don’t bring Grof and Bill on trips anymore; they’re too slow,” she conveyed telepathically.

Russell smiled and responded in his mind, “Then no one will be able to accompany me on trips. If Grof and Bill can’t, Eric and Kevin won’t be able to either. Apart from the Flying Beasts, no one can keep up with your speed.”

At a sprint, Unicorn Polly could easily reach speeds of two hundred kilometers per hour.

“Then we’ll set out on our own next time. With our strength, even if we encounter Snow Giant Da, there’s nothing to fear,” Polly responded with a touch of pride, confident that no one, not even Snow Giant Da, could catch her.

“Alright, next time we’ll set out alone!”