At Fluorite Castle, Russell was not surprised by his mother's summons.
"Your father came back once this month, but he didn't rest at home for long before returning to the snowfields to fight," Madam Meryl said. "He sent you a bag of Hail Beads—eight hundred ordinary Hail Beads and fifty-five superior Hail Beads."
"Alright, Mother. When Father comes back, please thank him for me." Russell accepted the bag of Hail Beads without ceremony.
Following their previous agreement, he valued each ordinary Hail Bead at one Gold Coin and each superior Hail Bead at ten Gold Coins, recording the bag's value of 1,350 Gold Coins in the ledger to be repaid in the future.
Among nobles, even brothers and fathers and sons had to keep their accounts clear.
Fluorite Castle would naturally help him establish himself, but it was also an investment with a clearly marked price, one that required sufficient returns.
Of course.
Shared interests formed a stable bond, but family affection mattered just as much—Fluorite Castle had not set a repayment date.
"Please wait a moment, Mother. I'll absorb the Hail Beads first." Russell entered the castle study and silently began absorbing the Hail Beads.
The Dragon Egg was only the size of a marble, like a dark-red gemstone, and could be carried on his person.
No complicated procedure was needed. He simply tossed the Black Oil Dragon Egg into the bag of Hail Beads. One by one, the Hail Beads melted, turning into white light that flowed into the Black Oil Dragon Egg, which showed no visible change.
The energy provided by these Hail Beads was still not enough to hatch the Black Oil Dragon Egg.
However, through the mental connection brought by the contract, Russell could already sense Rosai's pure little mind inside the Black Oil Dragon