The Ice Age had not yet ended, and Blackfire Land was still covered in ice and snow, but people had already begun reclaiming the wilderness here.
On the plains to the northwest, over a hundred serfs, led by a group of knights, were surveying the black oil vein. Veins nourished by wyverns were generally shallow deposits that required no drilling and were easy to extract.
A small party of riders arrived at the mining team.
"Lord Russell." The knight leading the team hurried forward and bowed to Russell. Then, seeing Rowena beside him, he cried out in surprise, "Ah, Miss Rowena, you... why are you here? Is this Lord Cooper?"
"Quinn, hello." Rowena greeted him casually, then noticed a large, dark scorpion crawling over Quinn's shoulder. "Eh, Quinn, did you contract a Glow Scorpion? Are you a Phantom Beast Knight now too?"
Quinn immediately replied, "The lord trusted me and gave me the chance to contract Black. I have now been appointed Knight Captain of the mining team, responsible for extracting black oil for the lord and Lord Russell."
"I see. Congratulations." Rowena smiled. "Dragon's Gaze, I always knew you, Quinn, would earn Father's favor."
Quinn was a Great Knight of the Fluorite Mushroom Family.
Not long ago, he had successfully contracted a Glow Scorpion and advanced to Phantom Beast Knight. Baron Roman had then sent him here to extract black oil.
Russell smiled when he saw the Glow Scorpion on Quinn's shoulder.
Back then, this fellow had muttered so incessantly that Russell could hear its Phantom Beast Whisper from dawn to dusk, leaving him no peace even when he slept. He had no choice but to ask Saiban the sprite for help, evolving Phantom Beast Whisper into Lucky Whisper.
Over the past year or so, he had always been