Chapter 20 Little Dream Dragon Misses the Appointment
The horses in the manor's stable were in luck, for the wheat seedlings, barley seedlings, and lentil sprouts harvested from Magic Medicine Tun, still fragrant with dew, were brought by the servants to feed them.
The cultivation work of the three kinds of magic plants was methodically spread out under the leadership of the serf overseers and technicians.
The first batch of workers at the Windmill Mill was also easily assembled by Hans.
Therefore, as the lord of the manor, Russell didn't have much to do, and he had plenty of spare time to inspect his territory.
He didn't go to Fluorescent Castle for a rushed lunch at noon.
Going there and back would take four hours, and even though he could practice on the way, it was a waste of time, so Russell sent a Knight Attendant to deliver a message, deciding to return to Fluorescent Castle once a week.
The time saved was all devoted to practicing "Radiant Swordsmanship Technique".
"Talent may be lacking, but determination fills the gap!" After drinking a Magic Elixir, feeling his Battle Qi start to boil, Russell immediately immersed himself completely, repeatedly swinging his fine steel longsword, using the movements of Battle Qi martial skills to carve open his meridians.
Just one technique of chopping and stabbing, honed a thousand times over.
Russell not only didn't feel any tedium, but the more he practiced, the more he felt in tune, as if by mastering this one technique, he could wield enough power to cleave the heavens in two and even reach the concept where one sword could sever all things.
"It seems, in my past life, I was a martial genius hindered by the blessings of a 996 schedule!"
Whoosh!
The fine steel longsword was firmly chopped down three feet in front of him, maintaining a seventy-five-degree angle with his body. A drop of sweat from his hair, flung out by the inertia of the forward motion, landed precisely on the tip of the sword and was split in two by the blade.
Nose wings, cheeks, all covered in beads of sweat.
Yet Russell didn't feel the slightest bit tired, nor could he feel any fatigue in his body.
Practicing uninteresting content might make one feel more tired as they practice, but when it comes to content of interest, there's always a feeling that there isn't enough time.
"Sir, you should rest now," Eric approached him.
"Did you sleep well, Mr. Eric?" Russell didn't stop, continuing to swing his fine steel longsword, "I will stop after another quarter of an hour."
"I've caught up on sleep," Eric replied, and then drew his fine steel longsword, practicing on his own.
He was already a Great Knight, his meridians fully integrated, unable to increase his Battle Qi any further; the next step was to make a contract with a Fantasy Beast to break through the shackles of his current realm.
"Mr. Eric, have you mastered your Battle Qi chains?" Russell asked.
"A thousand hammers, a hundred refinements."
"So, you are only missing a Fantasy Beast now," said Russell.
"Making a contract with a Fantasy Beast is as difficult as ascending to the heavens, Sir," Eric said as he fiercely thrust out his sword, sending a three-meter-long sword qi flying.
Making a contract with a Fantasy Beast is very difficult, but obtaining a Fantasy Beast is even harder.
Without Russell's help, he might only remain a Great Knight for the rest of his life, unable to touch the realm of a Phantom Beast Knight.
He turned his gaze to Russell, full of expectations.
Russell simply said, "There will be an opportunity."
As the lord, he naturally understood what Eric was thinking. A Great Knight who had reached the peak of Battle Qi and was willing to serve him had two goals in mind. One was to be granted the title of Lord and enter the ranks of the nobility; the other was to contract with a Fantasy Beast and advance to become a Phantom Beast Knight.
But he wouldn't make promises lightly.
Some promises need not be made; they will come naturally when the time is right.
A quarter of an hour later, Russell stopped his practice, and a male servant immediately handed him a towel to wipe his sweat, while a maid brought refreshing tea to quench his thirst.
"Sir, would you like me to arrange a bath for you?" Morris asked.
"No need, if I take a bath every time I sweat, I'll end up bathing three or four times a day," Russell wasn't that fastidious.
In a blink of an eye, night fell.
After dinner and a bath, Russell chose to camp out at Magic Medicine Tun again, under the pretext of keeping watch over the Spirit Insects through the night.
No one could persuade him; he could only be left to toil away.
However, what Russell found quite perplexing was that this night, he was unable to enter the Gloomy Dreamland and slept through till dawn.
"Good morning, Sir."
"Good morning, John."
Greeting the Knight Attendant casually, Russell walked to the edge of the Glowing River and scooped up some water to wash his face. When the disturbed water calmed and he saw the handsome face reflected, he furrowed his brows deeply, puzzled.
"The Gloomy Dreamland didn't appear, what's happening?"
Since his transmigration, he had entered the Gloomy Dreamland every night, exploring it with the Little Dream Dragon.
In the last few days, especially, with the help of the Gloomy Dreamland, he had discovered pearls in clams and Spirit Insects gestated by the birch trees, and Russell had begun to understand and acknowledge his own golden touch.
Who could've known.
Suddenly, his golden touch was gone.
"Could it really be gone?" Russell's face grew more and more grave; the value of the Gloomy Dreamland was immeasurable.
Having the Gloomy Dreamland meant having boundless resources. Just the discovery of wild Spirit Insects alone could propel him to the pinnacle of life.
Without the Gloomy Dreamland, Russell couldn't guarantee he would surely take off.
After all, in this magical world, what restricted development was not one's vision, but dragons and elves. Without dragons, without elves, the wealth of knowledge a transmigrated person might have was of no avail.
Moreover.
In his previous life, Russell was but an ordinary man.
"Or is it that the Little Dream Dragon has left me? That shouldn't be the case though, we've been getting along well these past few days, and I haven't offended it, have I?" The Gloomy Dreamland originated from the Little Dream Dragon, this much was certain, although Russell did not know the roots of the Little Dream Dragon.
Whether it was his last Ice Cream named Dream Dragon he had eaten before his previous life ended, or some unimaginable Great Dragon from the dream realm, remained unknown.
"Could it be..."
Russell thought of a possibility: "The Little Dream Dragon took a breath and then got tired?"
In previous encounters within the Gloomy Dreamland, the Little Dream Dragon had also breathed out, but it seemed that the breath, faint like mist, was taken back by the dragon.
Only this time, in order to help the birch tree gestate Spirit Insects, the Little Dream Dragon's Dragon Breath was not reabsorbed.
"If that's the case, isn't the Little Dream Dragon too fragile... No, that's not right. The Little Dream Dragon has limbs and wings; these are the Great Dragon's characteristics, it should breathe Dragonflame..." Dragon Breath is the exhalation of a Bipedal Flying Dragon, whereas Dragonflame is that of a Great Dragon.
Bipedal Flying Dragons, as the name suggests, have just one pair of strong hind legs with the front limbs transformed into wings.
Great Dragons have four limbs and a separate pair of wings.
The Little Dream Dragon, except for its smaller size, perfectly matched the characteristics of a Great Dragon, but Russell also didn't dare to confirm what it actually was.
In any case.
Russell lifted his head and rallied his spirits: "Don't be anxious, let's wait and see if the Little Dream Dragon will appear tonight!"
Suppressing his worries, he once again took on the demeanor of a dignified noble Lord.
He busied himself overseeing his territory, urging the cultivation of Magic Potions at Magic Medicine Tun, receiving stonemasons and carpenters from the town, discussing the blueprints for the Windmill Mill…
When night fell.
Russell still chose to camp at Magic Medicine Tun, then hoped for the Little Dream Dragon to bring the Gloomy Dreamland with it; however, after one night, the Little Dream Dragon still did not appear.
"Does a Dragonflame require so long to recover, Ice Cream?"
Russell looked up and sighed, somewhat dispirited.
The only piece of good news was that on the thickest birch tree, three meters up, a bud resembling a branch sprouted. Upon a detailed sensing, one could feel the rhythmic Magic Power within it, like a small life gently breathing.
The Spirit Insect was about to be nurtured into form.