Glimmering Town

"The fish soup was missing so much flavor. Bland, far too bland," Charles voiced a differing opinion at dinner.

"Looks like the dishes at the manor residence don't suit your taste, Tutor Charles. Hopefully, you'll soon find a cook who satisfies you." Russell did not care about Charles's opinion. He merely wanted a taste of home.

As for Charles, he would soon be moving out of the manor residence.

"Heavens, I truly wish that day would come later. You know, my lord, I love the wines in your cellar so much."

"When you move, I'll give you a bottle of Black Pearl Wine."

"Living in Small Market Town, I'll miss you, my lord," Charles said gloomily. The housing in Small Market Town had already been repaired, and he had no reason to keep lingering at the manor residence. After all, this was Lord Russell's private home.

Eric would likewise be moving to Small Market Town.

However, Eric's contracted Phantom Beast, the Gold-Silver Wolfdog, would remain at the manor residence to keep watch at night and protect Russell.

The Gold-Silver Wolfdog was Kevin the wolfdog. Russell had named his Phantom Beast form the Gold-Silver Wolfdog.

Because one of its eyes was gold and the other silver.

As was customary, Russell went to Fluorite Castle for a meal that day. Every week, he set aside one day to return to Fluorite Castle.

"You're saying Eric has advanced to Phantom Beast Knight?" Before lunch, the baron had once again been chatting with Russell in the study. He was quite surprised when he learned the news. "Did your territory discover a Phantom Beast, or did he find one on the snowfield?"

Phantom Beasts were scarce strategic resources.

There were quite a few Great Knights in the Glimmering River Valley territory, but very few had the opportunity to contract a Phantom Beast. Sometimes, a Phantom Beast simply was not compatible with a knight. No matter how they tried to adapt, they could not form a contract, leaving many Great Knights to waste half their lives without advancing.

"The Wildcat Sisters sent over a Half Ghost Beast. I had only intended to earn them a favor, but I never expected Kevin the wolfdog to pull through on his own."

"This truly is... praise the dragon. It must have been the power of the Shadowflame Dragon that granted this wolfdog new life." Baron Roman could not make sense of it, so he could only attribute every miracle to the Shadowflame Dragon of the grand ducal family.

In everyone's minds, dragons were omnipotent.

"Yes, praise the dragon," Russell echoed. In truth, he was praising his own dragon—Little Dream Dragon.

"Are you planning to consolidate Xiangshui River Cave next?" After calming himself, the baron immediately guessed Russell's next move.

"Yes." Russell had nothing to hide from his father. "I plan to lure Lisbon out and kill him first, then consolidate Xiangshui River Cave. I'll expand Wuyou Snake Manor to cover the entire cave and keep constant watch over the snowfield."

"It's good that you have ideas. Trying more things isn't a bad thing, but the cave is a cesspit. You must know where to draw the line. Don't end up swallowing the cave only to turn your own territory into a filthy mess."

"I'll handle it well, Father."

"Also, don't think you can rest easy just because Eric has advanced to Phantom Beast Knight. Remember, your own strength is the most reliable thing to depend on."

"I understand."

"Come, let's eat."

Father and son set down their glasses of red wine and left the spacious study. During the meal, his mother Meryl brought up another matter.

"In a few days, June 4 will be your grandmother's birthday. Your father and I plan to hold a banquet at Fluorite Castle. Remember to come back and stay the day before... Sigh, I wonder whether your sister's family will return. June 13 is Rowena's birthday."

Baron Roman said, "We'll know soon enough whether they're coming. Every June, merchant caravans come to trade. Rowena's and the Cooper Couple's letters should arrive with the caravans."

Russell's sister, Rowena, had married the heir of the Black Court Baron, Lord Cooper Tianzicai.

Among the Shadowflame Grand Duchy's two earls and five barons, they generally intermarried with one another, with eldest sons marrying the daughters of other nobles. As for second sons like Russell, it did not matter so much. Political marriage was fine, but freely falling in love was also acceptable.

"I'll come back on June 3," Russell said.

"Have you decided what gift to prepare for your grandmother? You're a lord with a fief now. You can't just fob her off with a pot of flowers like you did in previous years."

"I really haven't thought of anything yet."

"If you can't think of a suitable gift, pick something from the castle. A magic bracelet or a gemstone necklace would both do." Meryl spoke as if casually. "We can't let people gossip and think we don't understand proper etiquette."

Baron Roman glanced at his wife but said nothing.

Russell pretended not to understand her hidden meaning and smiled. "If possible, I'll prepare a special gift for Grandmother. Of course, if I fail to get it ready in time, I'll still have to rely on Mother to lend me a gemstone necklace for an emergency."

"I'll have Meigan fetch one for you right now," Meryl said. Meigan was her personal maid.

"Is there any need to be so hasty?" Baron Roman said helplessly.

It had not been easy for Fluorite Castle to save up this little family fortune.

Yet his second son was about to strip it bare. Every time he came, he took something back with him.

Russell smiled. "Thank you, Mother."

Seeing that Russell was not being polite at all, Baron Roman said with a dark expression, "You've been managing your fief quite well, so you need to gradually learn to support yourself. Self-reliance is a fine noble virtue. Your uncle does it well, so ask him for advice when you have the time."

"I will, Father."

"Brother, when exactly are you taking me to Wuyou Snake Manor to play?" Laura cut in. She no longer covered her mouth.

For one thing, she had grown used to the sight of her missing teeth. For another, her new teeth had already begun to emerge.

"Next time, definitely," Russell readily agreed.

After leaving Fluorite Castle, it was still early. Russell suddenly felt like taking a stroll through town. The town was called Glimmering Town, though the locals rarely used that name, simply calling it "town." It was the center of the entire Glimmering River Valley.

One long street running along the banks of the Glimmering River and three short streets crossing the river formed Glimmering Town's main layout.

The town was surrounded by a ring of tall walls. Calling it a city would not have been an exaggeration, except its population was rather small, less than ten thousand.

The entire Glimmering River Valley territory had only a little over sixty thousand people.

Riding a black horse, Russell moved through the crowds with his Knight Retainers. Since he had not revealed his identity, no one saluted him.

Even though his father was the lord of this territory and this town, not many people recognized him.

The stench is really awful. No wonder nobles never live in town. Like Wuyou Snake Manor, whose manor residence stood some distance from Small Market Town, Russell silently endured the mixed smell of human and animal waste. There was human excrement and urine, as well as waste from livestock and poultry.

Although the town had public toilets, not every household had one, and people dumping chamber pots everywhere was a common sight.

The only thing worthy of praise was that no one dumped chamber pots into the Glimmering River.

Anyone caught doing so would face a heavy fine and a whipping.

After all, the river delicacies from the Glimmering River were delicious and supplied Fluorite Castle in large quantities. No one dared contaminate Baron Lord's food.

Of course.

When Russell reached the long bridge on a cross street, he saw someone urinating by the riverbank. Farther away, someone appeared to be squatting in the grass by the river to relieve himself.

"Damn!"

Russell directly ordered James, his Knight Retainer, "Go. Arrest that man defecating by the river, then hand him over to the town watch commander!"