Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 561 - 561 559 The Rats of Red Castle Need to Be Put

Chapter 561: Chapter 559 The Rats of Red Castle Need to Be Put in Order Chapter 561: Chapter 559 The Rats of Red Castle Need to Be Put in Order The chaos that occurred at Stonestrike Castle remained unknown to anyone, but perhaps one day, it would be exposed through the pages of a journal.

Meanwhile,

at Swan Castle in the Fire Ant Swamp, similar chaos unfolded.

After the decree was delivered to Swan Castle by the Red Castle’s Shadowguard Knight, it completely crushed Kunsup·Sunflower’s hopes as the second son, no, as the second grandson, he had no chance of inheriting the position of Swan Baron.

“Kunsup, be sensible,” his elder brother Kunsley whispered derisively. “Prepare yourself to congratulate Russell on becoming the new Grand Duke.”

Kunsup gritted his teeth, “You have no shame? You were only one step away from the Grand Duke’s position!”

Kunsley was unfazed, “What of it? The position of Grand Duke is no longer mine, and that is an unchangeable outcome. As nobility, stop fantasizing all the time. You need to accept reality and be practical.”

After he said that,

he even patted Kunsup’s face, “My dear brother, if you can learn to accept reality and kill more Snow Ghosts on the battlefield in the future, I might still be able to grant you a knighthood.”

“Heh, should I care about your threats?” Kunsup scoffed, “Grandfather will grant it to me; if not grandfather, then father will!”

“Don’t be foolish!” Kunsley sneered in return, “Father has already decided to withdraw from the succession, which means I am now the first in line for grandfather’s position! Kunsup, I advise you to drop those unrealistic fantasies.”

“You!”

Enraged, Kunsup remained unheeded as Kunsley headed straight to the great hall of the Swan Castle.

Inside the hall, Baron Kunbifu had assembled many nobles of the territory to discuss matters, “Baron Thunderflame’s succession to the Grand Duke is unshakeable. The Sunflower Family can only accept it. I, as an elder, will personally attend the coronation.”

Earlier, Baron Kunbifu had vehemently declared that he wouldn’t set foot in Red Castle once Russell ascended the throne, yet, unfortunately, he had no choice but to attend.

Not attending would be regarded as rebellion.

“Sir, for now, all we can do is accept this reality. Regardless, the Flamecrest Dragonblood Family is handing over peacefully. Prince Russell must consider the implications. If we keep a low profile, he won’t target Fire Ant Swamp,” a noble lord spoke.

At that moment, Kunsley walked in.

Baron Kunbifu looked at his eldest grandson and asked, “You will accompany me to Red Castle to pay homage to the new Grand Duke.”

“Yes, grandfather,” Kunsley responded.

“After you get there, you know what to do, right?”

“I will do my best to foster a good relationship with the new Grand Duke. The Sunflower Family will be an unwavering supporter of the new Grand Duke,” Kunsley declared loudly.

Baron Kunbifu found the remark painful but nodded firmly, “That’s how it should be. Although there were disputes between the Sunflower Family and the new Grand Duke in the past, we never broke off relations, and the new Grand Duke never suffered any losses… In any case, I can’t bow down now, everything depends on you.”

Kunsley responded, “Grandfather, you nurtured our family’s growth and strength. How could you bow down before the new Grand Duke? As the heir, I naturally must sacrifice everything for our family, including our dignity. How could I merely enjoy benefits?”

“Excellent!” Baron Kunbifu stroked his beard and smiled.

Several noble lords also praised, “Young Master Sun understands the broader picture and knows when to advance or retreat. The Sunflower Family has a worthy successor!”

Kunsley accepted the compliments of the noble lords with a smile.

Following them, an irritated Kunsup arrived, his face darkened, wishing he could strike his elder brother dead on the spot, yet he knew he couldn’t defeat him.

…

“Woo woo woo!”

The steam whistle of the locomotive sounded, running on the experimental tracks at the Black Oil Mine, not very fast, but it signified the birth of a new means of transportation.

Applause broke out…

Russell was the first to clap.

He was quite satisfied with the progress of the Industrial Age in his territory. After all, it was started from scratch and there wasn’t an abundance of talented individuals.

Relying on a group of scholars and artisans to build trains was already more than satisfying.

Of course,

it also helped that this was an extraordinary world filled with magic-infused metals and gemstones, which meant the scholars didn’t have to worry about various materials. With theoretical guidance and skilled craftsmen, they could freely assemble prototypes.

Steam engine and rails, this was how it was pieced together.

“The next step is to produce a complete train, and then lay the first railway on the Cloud Dream Marsh’s Little Oasis!”

“Yes, Your Highness!” Everyone responded in unison.

After his ascension to Phantom Dragon Knight, Charles and the others decided his title should elevate in accordance with his new status—equivalent to a dragon—thus, they switched from addressing him as “Sir” to “Your Highness.”

Considering that he was about to be crowned Grand Duke, Russell didn’t decline—he also qualified as “Your Highness” due to his status as a Phantom Dragon Knight.

Sir, Your Highness, Your Majesty, Russell was moving up step by step.

After observing the locomotive test run, Russell returned to Cigar Castle, accompanied by Eric, Charles, Grove, Katie, Grontan Bainroot, and several other elders.

“I’m going to be enthroned at Red Castle soon, uniting home and country,” Russell said, sitting down and looking at his confidants. “But the Cloud Dream Marsh’s Little Oasis is where my foundation lies; I can’t just abandon it and let it go to waste.”

“Your Highness, what do you mean?” Charles asked.

“I need someone to stay here and manage Cloud Dream Marsh’s Little Oasis. Of course, I plan to redivide it—excluding the Glowing Territory, dividing it into three provinces: Blackfire, Leize, and Qinqiu, in combination with the eight provinces of the Volcanic Oasis, forming a division of eleven provinces.”

Russell continued, “I need three governors for these provinces, of course, the most significant being the governor of Blackfire Province… Who among you is willing to stay back?”

Charles was the first to state his intentions, “Your Highness, I am currently the governor of the Blackflame Plains, and by rights, I can transition directly to being the governor of Blackfire Province, but I would rather go with you to Red Castle. After your enthronement, you will need someone familiar to assist with miscellaneous matters.”

Eric followed suit: “I will accompany Your Highness to Red Castle!”

“So will I!” Katie exclaimed.

Grove scratched the back of his head: “Your Highness, as you know, I really can’t manage territories.”

Grontan cautiously asked, “Your Highness, when you go to Red Castle, will you often return to Cigar Castle?”

“Of course.”

“Then I will stay,” Grontan said. “I am just a Phantom Beast Knight. At Red Castle, I wouldn’t even qualify as a guard for you, sir. It’s better I stay in the land of Black Fire to manage this foundation for you!”

After Grontan spoke, Eric, Grove, and Katie appeared thoughtful.

Russell waited quietly.

After a while, Grove spoke first, “Your Highness, then I’ll stay as well, but I doubt I’m capable of being a governor. I’d rather stay on the Blackfire Plains and lend a hand wherever needed.”

“I will stay as well,” Eric took a deep breath, his normally stoic face showing a hint of conflict. “Your Highness… My talents are not as good as Grontan’s. Being a Phantom Beast Knight is already my limit…”

Russell nodded in understanding.

Then he looked at Katie.

Katie fearlessly met Russell’s gaze: “Your Highness, I still wish to follow you to Red Castle, even if my strength is lacking, I want to guard you!”

She paused.

Katie made a joke, “I heard there are many rats at Red Castle. I thought, Your Highness, you might need Jerry to help sort out those rats.”

“Haha, very well!” Russell laughed and responded, “So be it. Charles and Katie, you’ll come with me to Red Castle. Eric, you stay and serve as the governor of Blackfire Province, Grontan, you’ll be the governor of Leize Province, and Grove, you’ll be the governor of Qinqiu Province.”

He paused and then said, “Of course, this is just an initial appointment; you need to accrue sufficient merit and be ennobled before you can officially take the governor position. Luckily, Leize and Qinqiu have nothing much going on; you can afford to wait.”

With just a few words, Russell decided the fate of his trusted elders.

As for the rest of his followers, he planned to consider whether to bring them to Red Castle or leave them at the Cloud Dream Marsh’s Little Oasis after his enthronement.

Then, Russell called his butler by name: “Morris.”

“Sir, I am here.”

“Instruct the kitchen to prepare a feast tonight for the followers, complete with drinks and dishes,” Russell ordered the butler then told Charles, “You gather my followers, everyone must attend on time!”

“Yes, Your Highness!” Charles took the order.

That night, Russell and his followers got drunk at Cigar Castle, each follower thrilled beyond measure.

The Lord they followed was soon to ascend to the throne at Red Castle!