Winning Over the Wildcat Sisters

As the Ice Age receded and the warm season arrived, the Glimmering River began to rise.

It was said that every year at this time, Blind Dragons swam back from the Underground River, heading for the tidal flats at the source of the Glimmering River to lay their eggs.

Blind Dragons were not dragons, but a kind of fish with extremely poor eyesight and a very ugly appearance.

Perhaps they were a special kind of salmon.

"The delicacy of Blind Dragons is famous throughout Guangguang River Valley. Even visitors from outside the valley speak highly of them." Russell found inspiration in this. "Teacher Charles, how about some wild fishing by the river tonight? Tomorrow, we can have Mrs. Moore make soup with Blind Dragons."

Fishing was not the real purpose. His true goal was to camp and sleep in the wilderness.

Charles had yet to recover from the blow of Eric becoming a Phantom Beast Knight during the day. He repeatedly shook his head. "My lord, sorry to spoil your mood, but tonight I only want to lie down in bed early. If I can still have a taste of Blind Dragon soup tomorrow, that would be even better."

"Fine, then I'll take Eric night fishing." Russell did not care in the slightest whether Charles went or not.

That night, near Magic Potion Tunic, on the riverbank beside the Monochoria fields, they set up camp and began night fishing for Blind Dragons.

After fishing for a while, he crawled into his sleeping bag and fell fast asleep.

"Caw!"

Accompanied by Little Dream Dragon's cry, the Dark Dreamscape opened a new scene. Unfortunately, after searching for a long time, the man and dragon found nothing.

Discovering the Birch Worm still being nurtured in the birch forest before had already been a stroke of incredible luck.

And if Little Dream Dragon had not expended dragonfire, the Birch Worm likely could not have been born at all. Wild Spirit Worms were simply too rare.

"Don't be discouraged, Snowflake. Once we get back, we'll keep changing locations for night fishing and try to search both banks of the Glimmering River first!" Russell's enthusiasm remained unaffected. Wuyou Snake Manor covered a vast area, nearly twenty thousand hectares.

So far, he had only explored one-thousandth of it.

Even if he explored every day of the year, it would still take three years to explore the whole place.

"Of course, there's no need to explore places without flowers, grass, or trees." Russell calculated in his heart. Excluding wastelands unlikely to nurture Spirit Worms, he would search only promising locations. He should be able to finish in two or three months.

Moreover, once Little Dream Dragon grew stronger, the Dark Dreamscape would expand further, making exploration easier.

In short, everything was moving in a positive direction.

The next day.

Russell returned to the manor annex carrying an empty fish basket.

"My lord, how was your catch last night?" Butler Morris asked politely.

Russell shook the fish basket. "Blind Dragons really are blind. Such large bait, yet I didn't catch a single one. But no rush—I'll try again tonight!"

"With your patience, my lord, tonight you will surely have a bountiful catch."

"Haha, I'll take that as a good omen."

When night fell, Russell once again carried his fish basket and fishing rod to another stretch of the Glimmering River for night fishing.

The servants at the manor annex curiously asked Butler Morris, "Mr. Morris, why does the lord choose to fish for Blind Dragons at night? Can't he catch Blind Dragons during the day?"

Morris did not understand either. "Perhaps Blind Dragons fear the light and only come out to feed at night."

"Blind Dragons are blind fish. Why would blind fish fear light?"

"This..." Morris did not want to answer. He simply put on a stern face and said seriously, "Enough questions. Get back to work. A qualified servant never discusses the lord's affairs behind his back. You must all remember that."

By the river.

Russell did fish seriously for a while. After all, he could not fall asleep if he went to bed too early.

Unfortunately, he only caught a few ordinary trash fish, while Blind Dragons stubbornly refused to bite. Still, he had not been completely skunked, so it was a satisfactory outing.

Just as he was about to pack up his fishing gear and crawl into his sleeping bag, Eric, who had been patrolling the area and keeping watch while also getting acquainted with the wolfhound Kevin, approached with two familiar people.

"My lord." Eric stood to one side.

By the light of the campfire, Russell had already recognized the visitors. They were the Wildcat Sisters, Katie and Catherine. Both wore black clothing that allowed them to blend well into the surroundings.

After greeting Russell, their eyes fixed directly on the wolfhound Kevin.

Kevin also looked gently at the Wildcat Sisters, but he did not go over to them. He had already formed a contract with Eric and shared a spiritual bond with him, so he would follow Eric's wishes first, even if he might feel closer to his former two masters.

"Lord Russell, is this really Kevin?"

"You can call out to him," Russell said calmly.

"Kevin, come here, Kevin!" Catherine immediately crouched down and called to the wolfhound.

Kevin glanced at Eric. Receiving Eric's silent consent, he happily pounced toward Catherine, enthusiastically licking her face that looked as though it belonged to a forty-year-old woman. Then he affectionately rubbed against Katie's legs, overflowing with joy.

"It really is Kevin!" Katie could not hide her astonishment. "Lord Russell, you truly brought Kevin back to life, and Kevin even evolved into a Phantom Beast!"

Russell said, "That is indeed the case, though the process was somewhat complicated. Out of necessity, Kevin formed a contract with Eric. You were not there at the time, and I did not know where to notify you, so I made the decision to have Eric contract with him."

He briefly explained what had happened.

Katie said excitedly, "Of course, of course! As long as Kevin could be saved, that is enough! Now Kevin has even evolved into a Phantom Beast and formed a contract with Sir Eric. Nothing could be better."

Catherine added, "I had been worried... Lord Russell, thank you for saving Kevin. I once again apologize for my earlier rudeness."

"No apology is needed. The misunderstanding has been cleared up, and the information you gave me did help my territory avoid even greater losses." Russell smiled, then went straight to the point. "Kevin has already formed a contract, so he clearly cannot return to you. What do you plan to do?"

The sisters embraced Kevin and exchanged a glance.

Then they each stood and walked before Russell, dropping to one knee and striking their right fists against their chests in imitation of a knight's salute. "If you do not find us unworthy, my lord, we sisters are willing to pledge our loyalty to you."

Winning over the Wildcat Sisters was within reach.

But Russell said solemnly, "Katie, Catherine, I hold no prejudice against the Cave Freemen, but I will not shelter fugitives. If either of you has an outstanding warrant in Guangguang River Valley, I will never accept your loyalty."

"Please rest assured, my lord. We sisters may occasionally steal small things, but we are absolutely not fugitives in Guangguang River Valley."

"Very well. There is one more matter. If you join my territory and become my followers, you must obey the rules I set." Russell laid out the ugly truth in advance. He was not afraid of scaring the Wildcat Sisters away. Loyalty that was not absolute meant absolute disloyalty.

He could take in any stray cat or dog as serfs, but he would never take in any stray cat or dog as followers.

After a pause, Russell drew the fine steel longsword at his waist.

He said solemnly, "Enter my territory, and you will lose absolute freedom. Follow me, and you will receive the protection of my wings. I will ask you one last time, Katie, Catherine: are you willing to pledge loyalty to me and become my eyes and ears probing the night?"

The Wildcat Sisters exchanged another glance.

Encouraging each other, they cast aside their last trace of hesitation and said in low voices, "Katie (Catherine) is willing to pledge loyalty to you, my lord, and become your eyes and ears probing the night!"

Russell revealed a satisfied smile and lightly touched each sister's shoulder with the tip of his sword. "I accept your loyalty. Rise."