Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 558 - 558 556 The Flying Dragon Knight Welcomes the

Chapter 558: Chapter 556: The Flying Dragon Knight Welcomes the Delegation Chapter 558: Chapter 556: The Flying Dragon Knight Welcomes the Delegation Dragon Calendar 5585, June 17th.

For the citizens of Shadowflame Duchy, it was a significant day—Red Castle had issued a new edition of the palace gazette, announcing the unanimous decision of the Shadowflame Dragon and the Council of Elders—to welcome Count Russell Fluorescent Fungus to ascend the throne as Grand Duke.

The coronation was set for July 7th.

And today, all the Flying Dragon Knights of Red Castle were to set out for the small Oasis in Cloud Dream Marsh, to Blackflame Plains, and to Cigar Castle, to welcome the new Grand Duke Russell.

Early in the morning.

The Flying Dragon Knights under the direct command of Red Castle gathered in the skies above Mirror Lake.

Danquan Stone Dragon Knight—Chief Steward Lord Kunbei, Footprint Dragon Knight—Volcanic Minister Lord Welchi, Ruby Dragon Knight—Lord of the Treasury Gerard, Silver Dragon Knight—Chief Justice Lord Sandra, Golden Dragon Knight—Lord Seal Minister Raub, Steel Dragon Knight—Foreign Minister Lord Kroya.

Along with Black Coal Dragon Knight Lord Hancock and Green Crystal Dragon Knight Lord Drella, a total of eight Dragon Knights, aligned in a row.

On the Long Bridge Expressway, the carriage convoy of the Red Castle delegation had also fully assembled.

Escorted by a squadron of fifty knights from the Dragon Blood Knight Regiment, they slowly crossed the expressway in the rising morning sun.

After crossing the Southern Arch Gate at the end of the expressway, the convoy began to accelerate.

The town by the Southern Arch Gate had already amassed a crowd that had received the news early. Upon seeing the welcoming convoy passing by, they burst into frenzied cheers.

“Welcome, Sir Russell!”

“Welcome, the new Grand Duke!”

“The Dragon watches over us, may its glorious light protect!”

“With the Grand Duke’s ascension, Shadowflame reborn!”

Amongst the shouts, the convoy sped away, and the eight Flying Dragon Knights also circled overhead twice before flying off with the convoy.

“Sir Russell is finally ascending to Grand Duke,” mused a Duchy’s Lord, standing by the window on the third floor of a tavern, watching the delegation depart. “It’s a pity the palace gazette did not clarify whether Sir Russell has formed a pact with the Dragon or not.”

“He must have already formed a pact, otherwise how could Sir Russell become Grand Duke?” another Duchy’s Lord declared with certainty.

“In the future, we must address Sir Russell as ‘Your Highness.'”

“Even if Sir Russell has not ascended, we should’ve changed our address already, as the palace gazette clearly stated that Phantom Dragon Knights and Dragon Knights are equal in rank, both part of the Dragonflame Tier. So we should’ve been referring to Prince Russell and Princess Polly already.”

“It’s hard to imagine that a Dragon Domain Lord can be promoted, providing a completely new path to the Dragon Flame Tier for us, the vast majority of ordinary knights!”

“Ha! Easy as you say, but it’s not as simple as you think,” another Duchy’s Lord shook his head. “How many Dragon Domain Lords are there in this world? Perhaps even rarer than Dragon Knights. And how hard is it for a Dragon Domain Lord to be promoted to a Phantom Dragon Knight?”

“No matter how difficult, it’s still a viable path. Where there’s hope, there will eventually be knights who’ll reach it.”

“That’s true. All in all, this path is not prepared for you and me, but for those knights of exceptional talent but unfortunate luck, who have received no attention from the Dragons.”

Dragons were exceedingly rare, after all.

And the birth of new masterless Dragons was even scarcer, so, in theory, there was one Dragon Knight for every available Dragon—an old Dragon Knight must die if a new one is to rise, no matter how talented the knight.

Such a pity.

Dragon Knights lived very long lives. Among the three Dragon Knights of Shadowflame Duchy, long-lived ones such as Quentin II Shadowflame had lived to the age of one hundred ninety-five years. The longest-lived Dragon Knight in the Scorching Torrent Kingdom had lived to be two hundred forty-six years old.

In essence, a single Dragon Knight could outlive several generations of talented knights.

“Actually, if you think about it carefully, the path of the Phantom Dragon Knight may not be really passable. There are not few Dragons without riders—the Torrential Flood Dragon of the Scorching Torrent Kingdom being an example. Yet, we have not seen a talented knight able to mount it.”

“Never mind that, it’s too far from us.”

“That’s true.”

“We’d be better off thinking about how to swear fealty to Sir Russell after his ascension.”

“We needn’t worry about that, the Council of Elders will certainly sort out the procedures, and the new Grand Duke will also form a Cabinet. Whatever the new Grand Duke wants to do with knightly etiquette, we’ll comply,” lamented the Duchy’s Lord. “It’s not like the times under Grand Duke Kunstan…”

“It was indeed comfortable during Grand Duke Kunstan’s reign, but alas, it was only for one year.”

“Alas.”

…

“To celebrate Sir Russell’s upcoming ascension to Grand Duke, all drinks in this store are on sale at a five percent discount!”

In a ramshackle yet bustling tavern in Furious Wind City, no sooner had the notice been posted on the bar than it set the lingering drinkers to grumbling.

“Just a 5 percent discount!”

“If I were Lord Russell, I’d drag the owner out and chop his head off!”

“It’s not bad, a glass of dark beer can save half a copper coin, drink two glasses and you save a whole copper coin, and with a copper coin you can buy a large loaf of black bread, enough to last a day!” Some drunkards were quite content, careful with their calculations.

“Come on, let’s toast to the new Grand Duke!” A Cyclops Knight lifted his glass of dark beer and guzzled it down.

“To the toast!”

“To victory!”

“With Lord Russell’s ascension, our good days have arrived!” Most who came for a drink were idle knights.

Although called knights, “mercenaries” would be a more fitting description.

With average talents, they were destined to reach only the Armored Knight Rank, unwilling to do honest work on the estates, always dreaming of making a quick buck on the snowfields.

And so, some lords short of knights would hire them short-term.

Fight a round on the snowfields, the lord takes the Ice Pellets Pearls to exchange for merits, and these mercenary knights would then squander their gold coins.

“How come good days have arrived?”

“After the new Grand Duke’s ascension, he’s bound to sweep the Snow Demons clear, our chance is here! And the downfall of the past won’t happen again, ever since Lord Russell rose, the Snow Demons have never amounted to anything!”

“Well said!” The knights shouted in unison.

“Lord Russell is like Su Luo in the play, bound to level the snowfields eventually!”

“Nonsense, Su Luo was created based on Lord Russell, and Lord Russell’s aspirations have long been conveyed to the world through Su Luo!”

“To Lord Russell… no, to Prince Russell!” The previous Cyclops Knight once again raised his dark beer high and took a big gulp.

“To Prince Russell!”

“To Prince Russell!”

Amidst the heated atmosphere, the drunkards followed the Cyclops Knight, chugging their dark beer with gusto.

Once the atmosphere had gradually calmed down,

the Cyclops Knight quietly made his way to the backroom to find the owner: “I spurred the drunks on to drink at least four rounds of dark beer, you owe me a silver coin!”

“Of course, I wouldn’t have you work for nothing.” The owner took out a silver coin, but quickly put it back and exchanged it for eighty copper coins, “But you’ve also drunk at least five glasses of my dark beer, let’s make it a double discount for you, twenty copper coins sound good!”

“I was helping you out!”

“But you didn’t have to chug it down, a dark beer costs ten copper coins a glass, you had five big ones, isn’t your stomach bursting!”

“Damn, you’re heartless!”

“Drank beer and still made money, be grateful!” The owner said proudly, his shrewd calculations keeping his tavern’s business far more thriving than others, “Same rule as always, leak this and you’ll never get work from me again.”

The Cyclops Knight pocketed the eighty copper coins, flipped the owner the bird, and left without looking back.

He urgently needed to pee.

…

“Is Earl Ade’s family well settled now?” Count Merlin looked at his grandson Mel in the independent small castle.

Mel nodded, “My selected son’s small castle, Red Castle hasn’t been taken back, it’s just right for temporarily accommodating Earl Ade’s family.”

“Your wedding with Annie has been postponed, Earl Ade isn’t angry, is he?”

“No, grandfather.” Mel said with a smile, “Being able to witness Russell’s ascension, Earl Ade is very happy, including Annie. The battle between Russell and Shuang Da has won everyone over, and everyone is proud that Russell can become Grand Duke.”

After being attacked on the snowfields, everyone felt they had fought alongside Russell, sharing in the glory.

“What about you, what do you think?”

“Me.” Mel was taken aback and then smiled sincerely, “Grandfather, I’m truly happy for Russell from the bottom of my heart. I’m not cut out to be a Grand Duke, and among the three chosen sons, my chances were no higher than Kunsley’s, so the Grand Duchy going to Russell is the best outcome.”

“Ah.” Count Merlin sighed deeply.

He then shook his head and said with relief, “Yes, Russell inheriting the Grand Duke position is indeed the best outcome.”