Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 344 - 344 343 The Hard-to-Find Rain Dragon Cigar

Chapter 344: Chapter 343: The Hard-to-Find Rain Dragon Cigar Chapter 344: Chapter 343: The Hard-to-Find Rain Dragon Cigar Furious Wind City.

The capital of Shadowflame Duchy with a population of nearly five hundred thousand, which accounts for almost one-seventh of the people in Volcanic Oasis.

Salt Pit Manor outside the city.

Lord Minor looked at the invitation letter in his hand and clicked his tongue in admiration, “The Lord of Marcus actually has such an outstanding son. The Fluorescent Fungi Family is going to become the number one noble family in the Grand Duchy, even outshining the Rainflower Family.”

“How can someone just pick up a dragon on the Snowfield?” Lord Minor’s wife couldn’t help but express her amazement as well.

Every year, there are thousands of knights battling on the Snowfield.

But throughout the history of Shadowflame Duchy, the number of knights who have found dragons can be counted on one hand, and each of them has started a great noble family of their own.

“This is fate,” Lord Minor shook his head. “It’s not something to envy, even Great Dragons take a serious look at Lord Russell.”

“Marcus, too, has good luck to follow such a powerful lord.”

It was Russell who was powerful, but that did not prevent the outside world from viewing him and Baron Roman as one, both the glory of the Fluorescent Fungi Family.

“Are you still worried about Mikel and Malena’s marriage now?”

“Indeed, much more relieved now,” his wife said. “The girl Malena is really good, but before, her father was just a common Duchy’s Lord. We are Lords near the Shadowflame Volcano… well, it seemed somewhat unequal.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t reject this marriage alliance, otherwise, with Marcus now backed by two barons, he really might not look favorably on Mikel.”

“That’s not necessarily the case, our Mikel is excellent as well. Besides, Malena is already nineteen, almost an old maid, how could Marcus dare to back out now?” his wife confidently retorted. “If you ask me, Malena and our son are a perfect match.”

“Enough with that nonsense,” Lord Minor stood up and spoke. “Put away the invitation, and get ready. We will set off for Glowing Valley as soon as possible… Also, ask Mikel to invite Malena to join us.”

After saying that, Lord Minor sighed, “That boy Mikel is too rigid. If he had even half of my charm back in the day, the daughters of the Duchy’s lords would have been his for the choosing!”

His wife chuckled with a tone of slight mockery, “You have the nerve to talk about being charming back then. When you invited several young noblewomen at the ball, they all turned you down. If it weren’t for my pity on seeing you heartbroken, I would have rejected you, too.”

“You’re full of it.”

“Whether it’s the truth or not, you’re aware in your heart,” she replied.

The couple’s banter was common and did not affect their affection for one another.

After reminding his son to invite Malena to join them, Lord Minor changed into a fresh outfit, took two male servants with him, and went to Furious Wind City, where friends had invited him to drink tea at a teahouse and discuss recent plays.

Now that the border was peaceful, even a Snow Demon was nowhere to be found, many lords like him were on vacation at home.

With nothing else to do, they would invite a few friends to drink tea and watch plays in Furious Wind City.

“My lord, this way, please. The friends you’re meeting are in the private room number seven on the third floor at the corner,” the teahouse waiter led Lord Minor to room number seven. The male servants waited downstairs while the teahouse maidens served in the private room.

“Minor, you’re late again,” three Duchy’s Lords already seated in the private room, each had a teahouse maiden helping ease their shoulders.

“I’ve been busy lately,” Minor sat down.

The server behind him immediately asked, “My lord, which maiden may serve you, or do you have a favorite one you’re accustomed to?”

“Lilia,” Minor called for a familiar maiden.

“Very well, just a moment, please.”

After the server left, Minor quickly took out his pipe case from his pocket and prepared to light it up for a smoke.

The lord across from him teased right away, “Minor, why are you still smoking a pipe? A knight should be smoking cigars.”

As he spoke, he flicked the dew-covered cigar he held between his fingers and said, “I heard that your son is set to marry Marcus’s daughter, and Marcus is loyal to Baron Roman, whose son, now the renowned Flying Dragon Knight Russell!”

“Yes, the cigar was invented by Lord Russell,” another lord of the Grand Duchy chimed in, “You will have an unending supply of cigars now!”

“I still prefer smoking a pipe,” Minor replied.

“Really, commoners smoke pipes, you smoke pipes, no wonder you’re always late,” the Duchy’s Lord laughed. “In the time you fumble with your pipe, I would have finished a cigar and even reminisced over my knightly life.”

Minor rolled his eyes and continued fussing over his pipe.

“These days, it’s getting harder and harder to buy Rain Dragon cigars in the market,” another Duchy’s Lord said. “You can’t even get your hands on Dew ones, let alone the Cloud Mist ones.”

“Indeed, I had my servant run all over Furious Wind City, and only managed to snatch up seven boxes of Dew cigars. As for the Cloud Mist cigars, you can’t even catch a glimpse of one,” he added.

“That’s just it, now with Lord Russell’s name echoing throughout Shadowflame, his Rain Dragon cigars have become a sought-after rarity!”

The reputation of Rain Dragon cigars was already tied to knights.

Now that their inventor Russell had been promoted to a Flying Dragon Knight, the status of the Rain Dragon cigars surged with even greater prestige.

Originally, if knights smoked cigars, one reason was for convenience and another was to savor a taste of a knight’s life. Now, they had an additional reason—smoking Rain Dragon cigars allowed them to bask in the glory of the Flying Dragon Knight.

Not only were Rain Dragon cigars associated with knights, but they were now also linked with the Flying Dragon Knight himself.

As knights, who didn’t want to seek a stroke of good fortune, smoke a Rain Dragon cigar, and perhaps be blessed with good luck?

Therefore, Rain Dragon cigars had become extremely scarce.

And with the endorsement of Russell, the Flying Dragon Knight, as well as the backing of Earl Merlin, Baron Roman, and even Marquis Arno, no one in the Shadowflame Grand Duchy dared to counterfeit Rain Dragon cigars—even the daring Willow Clan didn’t have the gall to do so.

If they were caught, they’d be shamed all the way to the Council of Elders.

The harder they were to acquire, the more the prestige of Rain Dragon cigars was highlighted. Even the lords of the Grand Duchy began to frantically compete for them, taking pride in getting their hands on a Rain Dragon cigar.

“Minor.”

“What?”

“Once your son marries Marcus’s daughter, ask Marcus to send you some Rain Dragon cigars. You may not smoke them, but you can sell them to us,” the Duchy’s Lord suggested. “Do you know how much a Dew cigar sells for in the market now?”

“So I’ve heard, about one silver coin each, way too expensive,” Minor replied.

“Ha!” the Duchy’s Lord scoffed. “That was the price a decade ago; in the black market now, a Dew cigar goes for ten silver coins!”

“Ten coins!” Minor was shocked.

At the same time, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, “Now that I am heading to the Glowing Valley, could I get a few boxes of Rain Dragon cigars through Marcus to bring back home? Even if they cost one silver coin each, I could turn around and make ten times the profit!”

However, just as this idea took shape, it was interrupted.

“I’ve also received an invitation to the dragon-riding festival at Fluorescent Castle, and I am planning to take a carriage there… When I return, I’ll bring back a carriage full of Rain Dragon cigars. Not to make money, but to keep for my own enjoyment!” One of the Duchy’s Lords exclaimed.

“Tch, now that you mention it, I should also prepare a carriage.”

“Me too.”

A few of the Duchy’s Lords, who had all received invitations to Fluorescent Castle’s dragon-riding festival, then simply decided together, “Why don’t we hire a Thunder Beast, buy a Thunder Beast-drawn carriage full of Rain Dragon cigars, keep half to smoke and sell the other half!”

“Exactly, exactly!” The group’s eyes lit up. “If we pull it off, the money made can completely fund our purchases of even more Rain Dragon cigars!”

Then the three men uniformly turned to look at Minor, “Hurry up and have your son marry Malena, then ask Marcus to help buy the cigars!”