Chapter 3 Mushroom Bird

"Mr. Russell, please hand me the reins."

"Mr. Russell, I will remove your cloak for you."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Russell, the lady was just asking about you, wondering if you had returned."

Along the way, the servants of Fluorescent Castle warmly welcomed him, took away Russell's horse, removed Russell's cloak, and handed him a towel to wash his face and hands.

Once he entered the castle hall where the fireplace was burning, he immediately went from winter to summer.

He shed the weariness of travel, regaining the radiant and handsome image of the Baron's second son.

"Mr. Russell, the lord is in the upstairs study, and the lady is teaching Miss Lola accounting. The lady, upon learning of your return, asks that you visit her," Carter, the butler, holding a ring of keys, said with a proper bow near the hall corridor.

In terms of etiquette, Butler Carter would never allow any discourtesy.

"Alright, I'll be right there," Russell replied with a slight smile, naturally giving Butler Carter a slight bow in return.

The extent of the smile, the angle of the bow, the force of the motion, as if trained by a set square, were impeccable.

That's the style of a gentleman!

This is what nobility is all about.

His predecessor might not have been outstanding in Battle Qi training, but never neglected lessons in nobility's etiquette. With Russell embracing it fully, he was equally adept.

As Russell climbed to the second floor, Butler Carter's smile remained undiminished, a genuine one like that of an elderly father watching his child grow up.

He had never married, serving the Fluorescent Fungi Family since childhood.

The young masters and mistresses were like his own children; he watched them grow and had long considered Fluorescent Castle his home.

After Russell's figure had disappeared around the corner of the staircase.

He then drew back his smile, reverting to the dignified castle steward, holding a ring of keys, inspecting every corner in the castle and the working servants.

"Wipe up there, don't leave dust in high places," he said to a male servant polishing a column.

The servant immediately responded, "Yes, Butler Carter."

"Make way, make way," a young maid, carrying a pail of water, hurried past at the corner of the corridor.

Upon seeing Butler Carter, she got a fright and almost spilled the water.

Frowning, Butler Carter scolded, "How many times have I told you? Once you start working at Fluorescent Castle, you need to correct all your bad habits. Daisy, this is Fluorescent Castle, the most prestigious place in all of Glowing Valley, stop being so clumsy!"

"I'm sorry, Butler Carter, I will definitely improve," Daisy said in a small voice, shrinking back.

She then quickly sidestepped around Butler Carter.

Seeing this, Butler Carter shook his head; the quality of the new maid was concerning.

On the second floor.

Entering the lady's room, Russell saw his mother instructing his sister on how to check and record accounts.

"Mr. Russell," the serving maids at the side promptly greeted him.

Russell nodded at them and then turned to his mother, "Butler Carter said you were looking for me, do you need something?"

"Come here, sit down and we'll talk."

"Alright."

Russell sat in the nearby chair, and a maid brought over some tea.

His sister Lola, just eleven years old, smiled at Russell with her mouth closed, recently having lost one of her sharp front teeth, which made her reluctant to smile openly.

Russell returned the smile.

His mother, looking at her young adult son, said, "Your father and I have discussed a few times. Regarding your proposal to move to Wuyao Snake Manor, we think it can wait, and first, we should properly staff the manor's annex with servants and your personal attendants. The place isn't too far, yet not close either; it requires two hours by horse."

"I can commute daily, consider it Battle Qi training," Russell offered.

Moving out of Fluorescent Castle was his firm goal. Not to mention that he felt uneasy during family gatherings, just being under Mr. Ross's scrutiny was uncomfortable enough.

"Are you in such a rush to leave home?" his mother asked, a tinge of sorrow in her voice.

"Uh..."

Seeing Russell at a loss for words, his mother suddenly smiled, "Well, children do grow up and have to leave home eventually. If you want to move there to live, then go ahead."

"Okay."

"Come back for lunch every day."

"Yes." Seeing some wrinkles on his mother's face, Russell nodded solemnly.

Roland, his eldest brother, was serving in the Shadowflame Castle's Dragon Blood Knights; his eldest sister, Rolin, was already married; and at home, it was just him and his younger sister, Lola.

And now, he too was leaving home.

For his mother, Meryl Rain Flower, this was indeed another heartbreaking farewell. However, as a noblewoman, she knew that an eaglet must endure stormy weather to grow into an eagle, so she never obstructed Russell's decision.

For a while, mother and siblings talked together.

Soon, the butler Carter entered, "Madam, Mr. Russell, Miss Lola, dinner is served."

"What about the Baron?" Meryl asked.

"I have already informed his lordship, he will be down shortly."

"What on earth is in that study that attracts him to stay there all day?" Meryl complained as she stood up, "Mr. Carter, don't tell me he actually gets into those hefty volumes. I don't believe it for a second."

Butler Carter showed a polite smile without responding.

The dining room, also on the second floor, had no electric lights, but the walls were fitted with many wall lamps. Embedded within these lamps were luminous gems, emitting a soft and enduring light, both brightening the room and being gentle on the eyes.

Outside, the evening had already turned to dusk.

Looking out from the dining room window, one could see a tower close by, with Ros the Clay Dragon perched atop its roof.

It could maintain that posture and sleep throughout the night.

The Baron had not yet arrived when two unexpected guests made their way into the dining room.

One was a palm-sized, green, chubby bird with patterns similar to glowing mushrooms; the other was a cartoon-like little doll the size of a palm, with transparent wings on its back and a cluster of blue flowers blooming above its head.

At the moment, the little doll was pointing at the green chubby bird, squeezing out tears while babbling incoherently.

"Lorey, you've bullied Tess again!" Meryl scolded with a stern face.

The green chubby bird named Lorey, a Fluorescent Fungi Family surname derived Mushroom Bird, is a magical mushroom-type little sprite.

And the bullied little doll Tess was a Rain Lasting Flower Sprite, likewise a magical plant-type little sprite.

They were beings as miraculous as the Bipedal Flying Dragon.

Born amid plants and mushrooms, they could plant their respective magic potions anytime, providing the Baron's family with a continuous magic power output.

"Chirp chirp chirp!" Lorey the Fluorescent Fungus Mushroom Bird landed on Meryl's shoulder, chirping away in what seemed to be a rebuttal.

Tess, the Rain Lasting Flower Sprite, landed on Meryl's other shoulder, her chubby little hand on her hip, the other pointing at the Mushroom Bird Lorey, crying out loudly.

Unintelligible.

Russell didn't understand the language of sprites; in fact, no one could understand the language of sprites, as their cries were not a language.

He marvelled inwardly at the squabbling Lorey and Tess.

Even though he had come to accept the existence of dragons and elves in this world, no matter how many times he saw these small, magical creatures, he would still be in awe of their beauty.

Dragons produced metals and gems.

Elves yielded magic potions -- all manner of plant magic potions, mushroom magic potions.

"It's a pity, the family only has two little sprites; father has only promised to give me three spirit insects. If I want my own little sprites, I'll have to cultivate them myself," Russell regretted.

Little sprites evolve from spirit insects.

But for spirit insects to evolve into little sprites, the chance was very slim; the Fluorescent Fungi Family of this generation had only managed to cultivate one mushroom-type sprite, Lorey.

As for Tess,

She was part of the dowry when Meryl married into the Fluorescent Fungi Family.