Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 413 - 413 412 Blackfire Laboratory

Chapter 413: Chapter 412: Blackfire Laboratory Chapter 413: Chapter 412: Blackfire Laboratory Leize, with the arrival of the warm season, the vast expanse of water had evaporated almost to nothing, revealing flat ground.

Time had come to the month of May.

All sorts of weeds and saplings were already starting to come out under the shine of the sun.

But the seemingly vibrant land of Leize was in fact fraught with danger, with small puddles everywhere among the weeds. And the dry land next to the puddles was actually lurking quagmires waiting for people and livestock to fall into.

“Roar!”

The Black Oil Dragon Ross flew low to the ground, occasionally letting out a meaningless roar, enjoying the warm weather.

On the dragon’s back, Lord Russell’s forehead shimmered with the Mark of the Thunder Lord, and behind him his white wings shimmered as if by illusion.

Closely observing his own territory of Leize, by the time Ross had flown a circle around it, he had a good understanding.

“The outline of Leize is not very regular, but it’s roughly circular, a vast expanse of flat ground where it’s almost impossible to find a raised mound.” Sketching a map on a piece of paper, Russell began to outline.

“The lowest point of the terrain is slightly southwest of the center of the territory, in a depression that is suitable for creating a lake.”

On the newly drawn map of Leize, Russell marked an “×” to indicate where to dig a lake.

He then boldly drew two lines through the “×” on the map: “Hmm, not only do we need to dig a lake, but we also need to dig two river channels, bringing all the water sources into the lake, changing the landscape of the swamp.”

After digging the lake and channels, more drainage ditches will need to be dug to try to completely drain a large area of swampland.

In areas of low-lying terrain where water cannot be drained, lakes can be dug on the spot, or converted into paddy fields for cultivation.

In any case.

As long as there is sufficient labor, there is no land that cannot be farmed.

“In the future, merging the three territories into one, Leize’s water might even be drained further outward, making it even more suitable for cultivation.” Lord Russell was full of confidence in his territory, a legacy that could be passed down from generation to generation.

Even if he were to establish a nation in the future, if he had many children, he could arrange for a second son to inherit this legacy.

“It’s just unknown whether Leize would gradually wither after Polly and I pass away. If Leize withers and loses its resonance with the Warm Enclave, would the vast future territory shrink back into the small areas of Glowing Valley and Blackflame Plains?”

This was a question worth pondering.

However, there were too few records of Dragon Domain Lords, so it was hard to clarify how the Warm Enclaves developed by Pseudo-Dragons would change.

“Forget it, Polly and I are both very young, and Polly has just recently been promoted to a Pseudo-Dragon; our lifespans won’t be that short.” Russell let out a self-mockery smile, “Emperor Quentin II lived to be a hundred and ninety-five; surely I can’t lose to him, can I?”

Therefore.

Russell’s provisional goal in life was to live to over two hundred years old and, if possible, like dragons, for thousands of years.

“Even, if I were to merge with Ice Cream into one, like Sigruft and the Lost Vengeful Dragon in ‘Song of the Volcano’, becoming a conceptual Vengeful Dragon, then I could be immortal.” Russell began to dream.

Life was too good now; like the emperors on Earth, he yearned for immortality and eternal bliss.

The transcendental powers of Dragon Sleep Continent were fully demonstrated in dragons.

To seek immortality, one must first become a Dragon Knight.

“Alright, Ross, let’s head back.” Having finished surveying Leize and not in a hurry to develop it, Russell planned to first develop Blackflame Plains properly.

Leize could be left to grow wild for the time being, just occasionally checking if elves or Phantom Beasts had taken up residence.

“Roar!”

The Black Oil Dragon soared high into the sky and quickly returned to the Blackflame Plains.

From high above, Blackflame Plains was lush and green; although it was just carved out of the Snowfield last year, it now teemed with life.

A road stretched straight from Glowing Valley in the west, cutting through the Broken Snowfield, heading directly toward the center of Blackflame Plains.

Thousands of workers, divided into different groups, were busy constructing Russell’s castle.

Similarly, stretching from the northwest of the territory was Charcoal Dust Road, leading to the Black Oil Vein, with convoys transporting Black Oil like a long dragon. Around the mine were several brick kilns, ceramic kilns, porcelain kilns, and even glass kilns under construction.

Whoosh!

The Black Oil Dragon Ross swooped down and landed beside a row of somewhat strange houses.

“Sir!” Katie, the Phantom Beast Knight in charge of the mine oversight, rode up and greeted Lord Russell with a salute that involved hitting her chest.

“How is the order at the mining site?” Russell jumped off the dragon’s back, hands clasped behind his back, surveying the project’s progress like a leader.

Katie did not stint her praise, “The new Great Knights are very good at management. They’ve organized the serfs in a knight formation, which has made the entire mine’s operations well-ordered… They truly are talents from the Dragon Blood Knights.”

“Indeed, the Dragon Blood Knights really do train people well,” Russell nodded in agreement.

This was evident from his elder brother Roland. Roland’s management techniques were learned from the Dragon Blood Knights.

This knight regiment, directly subordinate to Red Castle, trained those who were the Grand Duchy’s reserve nobility.

Therefore, they not only taught how to campaign across the Snowfield but also how to manage domains. Even if one couldn’t earn a title of nobility, one could still become a Knight Commander on an estate.

“You should also learn more from them. In the future, you’ll be patrolling the entire Blackflame Plains and even Leize, a heavy responsibility,” Russell said affectionately, patting Katie’s shoulder. “And Jerry needs to step up his military training as well.”

“Yes, Sir!” Katie saluted vigorously, so much so that her armor clanged loudly with the force.

This made Russell wonder if her chest hurt.

“Additionally,”

“Please give your orders, Sir.”

“You should also closely observe these Great Knights to see if anyone is incompetent or has poor character. I will be eliminating a number of knights in the future,” Russell instructed. Although he was in need of talents, he wasn’t willing to keep just any knight.

“Understood,” Katie replied.

“Alright, you can get back to work. I’m heading to the laboratory for a bit,” Russell waved his hand and headed toward the row of somewhat strange houses.

These houses, built from slag bricks and yet unpainted, bore a sign above their courtyard gates — Blackfire Laboratory.

“Lord Russell!” The knight on guard at the door promptly saluted. This was a knight sent by the Fluorescent Fungi Family to support Russell.

Inside the house.

A group of scholars and apprentices dressed in white lab coats were bustling about conducting various experiments with an assortment of equipment.

“Ah, Lord Russell, you’ve arrived,” a scholar in a white lab coat spotted Russell.

“Ah, Kirov. I’ve come to look around. Where is Lord Placido?” Russell recognized him as Scholar Kirov.

“The master is here; I’ll take you to him,” Kirov said eagerly and respectfully, leading the way for Russell.

This enthusiasm was due to Russell’s status as a patron, and the respect was because Russell was about to become a Grand Scholar.

Nominated by Chosen Son Mel, the matter of Russell’s promotion to a Grand Scholar title had already been discussed at the Grand Scholar Roundtable.

It required three rounds of discussions for approval to officially bestow the title of Grand Scholar.

But Russell’s case was a favorable one.

The Retting Fertilization Skill had been widely promoted, and its benefits were clear. With this achievement, he could easily become a Grand Scholar just by lying down.

“Teacher, Lord Russell is here,” Kirov called out as he entered a laboratory where an older man in a white lab coat was seriously fiddling with something that resembled an iron furnace.

The older man turned around and saw Russell, but he did not stop what he was doing to salute.

Instead, he quickly began, “I’m quite sorry, Lord Russell. I can’t free my hands to salute you right now; this distillation furnace keeps breaking down time and again… But the distillation scheme you proposed has already yielded preliminary results; we’ve actually separated a special liquid from the black oil!”

Immediately after.

This Grand Scholar Placido turned and shouted towards the outside, “Dun, Dun, quickly bring the distilled sample to Lord Russell!”

“Coming, coming, teacher,” Dun, also a scholar and a student like Kirov of Grand Scholar Placido, hurried over carrying several bottles and jars. After setting them on the table, he quickly doffed his cap to greet Russell: “Dun presents his respects to Lord Russell.”

“There’s no need for formality,” Russell waved his hand dismissively, turning his attention to the bottles and jars, “Are these the products of the black oil distillation and decomposition?”

“Yes, with the experiment tools still being quite rudimentary, we’ve only obtained four kinds of distillation products,” Dun explained.