Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 329 - 329 328 Welcoming My Bipedal Flying Dragon

Chapter 329: Chapter 328: Welcoming My Bipedal Flying Dragon (Extra Chapter, Seeking Monthly Pass) Chapter 329: Chapter 328: Welcoming My Bipedal Flying Dragon (Extra Chapter, Seeking Monthly Pass) From “Mr.” to “Sir,” the change in address was not just a matter of formality; it was symbolic of Russell’s status and identity.

When Knight Commander Kendall called out “Lord Russell,” Russell was indeed startled for a moment.

He then laughed heartily, quite smugly, “You’ve seen through it all?”

“Seen through everything, completely seen through, Lord Russell!” Knight Commander Kendall expressed from his heart, “You have restored the glory of the Fluorescent Fungi Family, you are truly deserving of the Glorious Knight esteemed by the Shadowflame Great Dragon!”

At this moment, he couldn’t help but think of Russell’s great-grandfather.

That first-generation Baron Youguang, whom Kendall had never met but whose story he had heard—especially the story about finding Ros the Clay Dragon. And now, he witnessed with his own eyes another member of the Fluorescent Fungi Family’s story of finding a dragon.

A family that has found not one but two bipedal flying dragons across generations.

This truly was an unquestionable “fairy tale under the gaze of Great Dragons,” even more startling to him than Russell defeating Marcus a few days ago.

After all, an ordinary Mythical Beast Knight defeating a High-ranking Mythical Beast Knight, no matter how thrilling, was just a stunt.

But a “wild” Flying Dragon Knight represented not just a mere matter of strength but also a brand new, habitable Warm Enclave.

What made Kendall’s breath faster was the issue of the title associated with a wild Flying Dragon Knight.

Without a doubt, Russell would become a noble of hereditary status—a Baron, and the rise of a new Baron also meant the ascent of numerous Lords under his feoffment, not just those conferred by the Baron himself but also those who could be recommended to become Lords of the Grand Duchy.

As for Kendall.

Being a Mythical Beast Knight himself, he had reached his early forties and was still just an ordinary Knight Commander.

The conferral of a Lordship seemed an unattainable dream.

“Kendall.” Russell’s voice pulled Knight Commander Kendall from his shock as he continued to ask, “Your presence here must mean my father has sent you with a message. What did he instruct you to bring?”

Kendall suppressed the turmoil in his heart, took a deep breath, and responded, “Lord Baron has entrusted me with a message; he said that he and Mr. Roland are heading to the Populus territory.”

“I understand,” Russell nodded, “Anything else?”

“That was the only instruction from Lord Baron.”

“Alright, I’ve got it,” Russell said, “I need to wait here in the Snowfield for a few more days, so I won’t keep you.”

“The matters of Lord Russell take precedence.” Even though Kendall had a thousand words to say, he knew that now was not the right time for more conversation, besides, he was a follower of Mr. Roman, not Russell’s.

So he simply bowed calmly, “Then I shall take my leave.”

As they parted, he glanced one more time at Eric, who stood behind Russell, and his heart was again filled with emotion.

He and Eric had attended the Knight Academy in the same year and reached the rank of Great Knight around the same time; they were both among the elite of knights. Only Eric, being somewhat dull, did not fare as well as he did.

Soon there was a disparity in their status.

He had gained the favor of Mr. Roman, who had provided him the opportunity for a Mythical Beast contract, and he successfully bonded with the Aurora Falcon.

Eric, on the other hand, was merely assigned to be Russell’s knight instructor for the younger son of the Baron.

As is well known, at that time, Russell’s talent could be said to be a joke, and naturally, Eric’s future prospects were dim. Even after Russell, in a streak of good luck, burst forth a Qi Seed and was feoffed as a Lord, Eric still had no prospects for advancement.

After all, what could be achieved following a hopeless Lord?

Certainly not that Russell would ever ride a dragon, right?

Brilliant as Mr. Roman and Roland were, they had not gained the favor of Mr. Ross; how could Russell possibly gain approval!

At least, that’s what Kendall thought. He felt that with a bit of effort and luck he might have a shot at a Lordship.

But Eric had no chance and might spend his life as a mere Great Knight.

Of course.

What he had not anticipated was that Eric would actually stumble into good fortune and bond with a Fantasy Beast, rising to the rank of a Mythical Beast Knight.

But that was it.

He did not believe Eric would continue to be that lucky.

Whoosh, the Aurora Falcon turned into a beam of light that crashed into Kendall’s back, then became a pair of winged silhouettes, soaring him up into the sky.

Cooled by the brisk wind, Kendall felt slightly invigorated.

He couldn’t help but look back again at the figures of Russell and Eric shrinking to mere specks, as well as the large pit on the ground, and then he displayed a wry smile.

“I never imagined that Eric could really keep up this streak of dumb luck… Russell is actually going to ride a dragon!” The thought of Eric possibly becoming a Lord after Russell’s elevation to Baron made him feel terribly uneasy.

He did not envy Russell, for Russell was born highbred.

But he was extremely envious of Eric.

“Eric was inferior to me in every way back then…” If given the chance to choose again, he wouldn’t hesitate to choose to become Russell’s knight instructor, “Indeed… choice outweighs effort, choice outweighs effort indeed!”

Kendall couldn’t remember where he’d heard “Choice is greater than effort,” but now he only wanted to endorse the phrase with likes.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The wind howled as Kendall’s silhouette disappeared into the horizon.

Russell withdrew his gaze, looked toward the magma patterns in the large pit, and thought to himself, “Little guy, Rossay, keep working hard at hatching, hurry up and be born. I still want to take you to the Populus Gobi to make a grand scene and celebrate a marriage!”

Under normal circumstances, finding a dragon and then sending out invitations to guests would’ve been too monotonous.

Russell preferred to ride the Black Oil Dragon Ross, showing off in the Populus Gobi, and spread the word about himself through others.

At that time,

he would enjoy the glory that befitted a Flying Dragon Knight.

“The survival principle of the Fluorescent Fungi Family is to keep a low profile, but I am about to start my own family!”

Russell clenched his fist, indulged in a moment of wishful thinking.

Only then did he suppress the restlessness in his heart, called over Harpy Dragon Hape, and began the dual training of mind and battle.

The strength of a Flying Dragon Knight is also closely related to that of a Phantom Beast Knight.

Prime Breath is the fusion of Battle Qi and prime force. The stronger the magical beast, the stronger the knight. Meanwhile, Dragon Breath is about covering, not fusing, so the strength of Prime Breath as the core becomes one of the standards for the strength after being covered by Dragon Breath.

Why had Count Merlin become the most powerful man in the Shadowflame Duchy?

Because he was the only Fourth-layer High-ranking Mythical Beast Knight in Shadowflame Duchy; aside from him, there were only a few others like Mr. Roman who had reached the Third-layer High-ranking Mythical Beast Knight level.

“Set a small goal for myself, to become a Fifth-layer High-ranking Mythical Beast Knight before advancing to Dragon Knight!”

Successfully contracting Polly and Hape had given Russell an immense boost of confidence.

Thus,

one day, two days, three days… Russell lived a simple and arduous life of cultivation on the snowfield, occasionally going down to Cigar Courtyard for a bath, a change of clothes, and a good night’s sleep.

And the next day, he would return to the snowfield.

On September 11th of the 5582nd year of the Dragon Calendar, on a sunny and clear day during the hot summer, the sunlight evenly spread over every inch of snow on the field.

The large pit was also bathed in sunlight, and after nearly two weeks of continuous sunshine, some grass had begun to grow in the soil.

Russell didn’t know whether this grass had germinated from seeds frozen for tens of thousands of years or seeds that had blown in with the wind.

But he was more inclined to believe that this was the greenery bred by the power of the earth, after all, every Warm Enclave could burgeon in a short period of time—nothing is impossible in a supernatural world teeming with magic.

“Eric, Grove, to battle!” Russell didn’t puzzle over the grass but instead called out loudly to his two subordinates.

Grove scratched his head and looked at Eric with a rueful smile.

Eric just happened to look back at him.

The two exchanged glances and saw helplessness in each other’s eyes—Russell was just too fond of combat, incessantly sparring all day long, and the key issue was that he was far too strong, leaving them no match for him and getting beaten every time.

But when Russell had a need, as followers, they couldn’t fail to meet it.

The two took a deep breath, braced themselves with a spirit of fearless sacrifice, gripped their long swords tightly, and stood opposite Russell.

“Don’t look so bitter, Eric, Grove,” Russell noted the bitterness on their faces, “Diligence leads to proficiency, while idleness leads to play. Only by constantly honing our skills in battle can we progress to higher levels!”

Before the words had even faded,

he raised his fine steel longsword high, preparing to cleverly showcase the battle tactics he had newly devised.

But at that moment, the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook, interrupting his move.

In that instant, the three men exchanged glances, sensing something amiss. Immediately after, the earth shook once more, this time more intensely. The cracks from the earlier magma patterns widened rapidly, emitting a dazzling red glow.

Gurgling!

Immediately, water began to bubble up from the fissures, churning with bubbles.

“A hot spring!” Grove shouted loudly, “Sir, it’s a hot spring! The water is warm, it’s a hot spring eruption!”

“I know,” Russell stood on the trembling ground, his boots already submerged in the spring water.

But he did not move an inch, merely gesturing with his hand, “You two tidy up the tents quickly and wait for me above on the ice cap.”

“And you, Sir?” asked Eric.

“Me?”

Russell smiled faintly, feeling the awakening of a dormant mind at the other end of the heart’s connection, and said calmly, “Of course, I am here to greet my Bipedal Flying Dragon!”