Father and Son Game in the Study

The Dark Dreamscape had expanded, and Russell was utterly convinced of it.

He had noticed the large tree before; only a small part of it had been enveloped by the Dark Dreamscape. Now, however, a much larger portion of it was enclosed.

"I can confirm that all these changes happened after the Little Dream Dragon ate the Hail Bead!" He rode the Little Dream Dragon, grinning from ear to ear. "Snowflake, you just wait. When I get rich, I'll feed you gold coins every day!"

"Gaa?" The Little Dream Dragon tilted its head.

As if it understood something, it nodded repeatedly: "Gaa, gaa, gaa, gaa!"

"Gaga!" Russell imitated the Little Dream Dragon, shouting twice.

The Hail Bead was indeed valuable, but nurturing the Little Dream Dragon and expanding the Dark Dreamscape were things that couldn't be measured in money.

Because.

Russell increasingly felt that the Little Dream Dragon might truly be a giant dragon.

Even though it didn't exist in the real world and could only be ridden in dreams; and it wasn't as colossal as the Grand Duke's Shadowflame Dragon, capable of creating an endless warm oasis; plus, its intelligence was a bit lacking.

But dragons were legendary creatures, full of variety, not limited to just the Shadowflame Dragon template.

The Little Dream Dragon might just be another type of dragon.

"Gaa." After playing for a while, the Little Dream Dragon grew tired.

Russell affectionately rubbed the Little Dream Dragon's large head, smiling and waving goodbye. "Goodnight, Snowflake, have sweet dreams... Haha, what exactly constitutes a sweet dream? Perhaps what you and I are experiencing now is a sweet dream... In any case, I hope one day we can soar through the skies together!"

"Gaa!"

The Little Dream Dragon disappeared around the corner, and the Dark Dreamscape returned to silence.

Early morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a bright stripe across the bedroom.

The Lord's life was quite leisurely; no one came to wake Russell up anymore. However, his established biological clock still roused him early.

He casually pulled the bell rope by his bedside.

Russell got out of bed and went to the bathroom to relieve himself. His bedroom was the only one in the entire manor estate with an independent flushing toilet. Of course, the toilet tank needed servants to bring water to refill it, as there was no advanced water supply system.

After finishing, he returned to his bedside, took a deep breath, and then suddenly pulled open a drawer, letting out a sigh of relief.

The Hail Bead that had been placed inside was completely gone, meaning that what he had experienced last night was not an illusion but a real event.

The Little Dream Dragon had indeed swallowed the Hail Bead and then expanded the Dark Dreamscape.

"Excellent, excellent. I'll hunt more Snow Ghosts later and raise dragons!" The corners of his mouth turned up, as if he could see a brilliant future.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. "Good morning, Master."

"Good morning."

Head Maid Leona pushed the door open, and three maids quickly began their work.

Freckled Irene, buck-toothed Phoebe, and short, plain Olivia. Russell had every reason to suspect that when the old Butler Carter arranged servants for him, his mother had definitely given specific instructions to exclude any pretty maids first.

Otherwise, given old Butler Carter's affection for him, he wouldn't have failed to pick out beautiful maids.

"Perhaps the old butler has held out... At least Leona is decent-looking, and her figure is good too." Russell glanced at the Head Maid again. Her rounded backside when she bent over was truly impressive, inevitably inspiring a sense of respect.

"Good morning, Master." Butler Ram knocked and entered.

Russell collected his thoughts, allowed the butler to help him get dressed, and then went downstairs for breakfast before heading to his morning knight training.

By the time he finished his sweaty training, Charles had just come downstairs. "Good morning, Your Excellency."

"Good morning, Teacher Charles."

"Oh, right, Your Excellency. Are you inspecting the manor today? If you have free time, I think it's time for a knowledge lesson." Charles said. His role was Russell's private tutor, teaching him academics.

"We'll talk about it later." Russell brushed him off.

He was an adult now and didn't want to take any more formal academic classes. His plan for Charles was to be his assistant and advisor.

He could ask for guidance when he encountered something he didn't understand.

As they were chatting, a knight from outside rushed in, quickly led in by Butler Morris. "Master, a messenger from Fluorite Castle."

The knight thumped his chest in salute. "Raphael greets you, Young Master Russell."

"Greetings, Lord Raphael."

"Baron Lord has a message for you. He hopes you will dine at Fluorite Castle at noon, as the Baron has something to discuss with you."

"Alright. Thank you for making the trip. Go have some tea first, and we'll return to Fluorite Castle together later."

"Thank you."

The knight went for tea, and Charles immediately said, "It must be about hunting Snow Ghosts. Baron Lord is always keeping an eye on you."

"Mm." Russell naturally understood that he was likely still seen as a child by the Baron and his wife.

Even though they had allowed him to live on his fief, they would still monitor his every move.

After a bath and changing into new clothes, Russell, along with his personal butler and two Retainer Knights, followed Knight Raphael back to Fluorite Castle.

Upon arriving at Fluorite Castle, it was indeed to inquire about the hunting of Snow Ghosts.

"Chris already told me yesterday. Well done, Russell. You hunted the Snow Ghost earlier than I expected," the Baron praised.

Russell said humbly, "This is what I should do as a Lord."

Lady Meryl chided, "You're still growing, and you've only just begun cultivating your Battle Qi. It's best to avoid too many adventures. Chris is really something else; you asked him for help, and he just stood by and watched, letting a child like you fight."

The Baron said, "Russell is no longer a child; he has already had his coming-of-age ceremony."

"No matter how old he is, he's still my child."

"A woman's opinion." The Baron turned and went upstairs. "Russell, come with me to the study. Madam, you don't need to follow. Let's men have a chat."

"Go on, go on." Meryl tidied the hem of Russell's clothes.

Once in the study, Baron Roman took a bottle of red wine from the bookshelf and poured a glass for himself and Russell.

They clinked glasses and took a sip.

The Baron asked casually, "How did you feel during your first hunt for Snow Ghosts?"

"It felt pretty good. Perhaps it was the Knight squad's fighting that got my emotions going. I didn't feel scared, nor was I particularly anxious. By the end, I was so exhausted I didn't have the energy to think too much. And so, the battle ended."

"Better than your elder brother. The first time Roland went hunting ghosts with me, he saw a headless Snow Ghost and was still able to fight, but he actually zoned out."

"I guess I'm just a bit thick-skinned."

"No, you're more considerate than your elder brother." The Baron smiled. "I was worried you wouldn't adapt to living independently, but you've adapted better than I expected. You handled this Snow Ghost invasion very well; you were neither reckless nor cowardly."

"It's also because I've been influenced by you, Father."

"You've only been out for a few days, and your flattery skills have improved so much. That's good. You're much more cheerful than before," the Baron remarked with emotion.

Perhaps he had paid too little attention to this second son in the past, to the point where the Russell standing before him now gave him a sense of unfamiliarity.

Russell smiled along, offering no further explanation.

He couldn't exactly say that he was the one flattering, and the quiet one was the real son.

But soon, both father and son became quiet – after the topic of Snow Ghosts was exhausted, they found themselves struggling to find new conversation. After all, they rarely had such formal heart-to-heart talks. They could only awkwardly raise their wine glasses, masking the slightly silent atmosphere in the study.

Fortunately, it was time for lunch.

"Master, Young Master Russell, Madam asks you to hurry to the dining room for your meal," a male servant announced.

Baron Roman and Russell both breathed a sigh of relief. They exchanged a smile and left the study, filled with wine bottles on its bookshelves, one after the other.