Recaps

After advancing to Tier 2 High Phantom Beast Knight, Russell took Eric and Grove to the Ice Cap pit where Black Oil Dragon Rosai was hatching and revealed that Rosai was his contracted Wyvern. He began training with Harpe’s magic, but learned that Little Dream Dragon could not bring Harpe into the Dark Dreamscape.

• Russell quietly reached Tier 2 High Phantom Beast Knight and traveled with Eric and Grove to the warm pit beneath the Ice Cap.
• Russell revealed that Black Oil Dragon Rosai was hatching in the pit and that he had contracted her, while Eric vowed to protect her.
• Russell practiced adjusting to Harpe and learning to use her Wind Wall Technique and Hurricane Technique.
• Little Dream Dragon arrived to take Russell and Polly into the snowfield, but Russell discovered that Harpe could not be brought into the Dark Dreamscape.
• Russell concluded that Polly’s Dream Walk enabled her connection to the Dark Dreamscape and looked forward to openly having a real dragon.

After Gewen asked Roland to fight for her, he decided to travel to the Poplar Desert with Baron Roman and challenge Baron Gevidas. Meanwhile, Kendall found Russell in the snowfield and realized the young lord might be the key to their advantage.

• Gewen wrote to Roland that Baron Gevidas had agreed to her marriage alliance with Dreller, confessed her love, and asked Roland to come fight for her.
• Roland resolved not to give up on Gewen, and Baron Roman agreed to accompany him to the Poplar Desert.
• Baron Roman sent Kendall to find Russell, then set out with Roland on their Nightmare Ghost Horses.
• Kendall flew over the snowfield, found the huge pit, and met Russell emerging from a tent inside it.
• Kendall saluted Russell as Lord Russell after realizing he could strengthen Baron Roman's position.

Russell trained on the snowfield while waiting for Black Oil Dragon Rosai to hatch, and he began preparing to claim the glory of becoming a Wyvern Knight. When a hot spring erupted from the great pit, Russell stayed behind as Rosai’s consciousness awakened and the wyvern’s arrival began.

• Knight Captain Kendall learned that Russell had found a wyvern and realized Russell’s rise could also create opportunities for Eric.
• Russell sent Kendall away, then trained with Harpe and resolved to become a 5th Rank High Phantom Beast Knight before becoming a Dragon Knight.
• For nearly two weeks, Russell trained on the snowfield and regularly sparred with Eric and Grove.
• On September 11, the ground shook, cracks opened in the great pit, and hot spring water erupted.
• Russell ordered Eric and Grove to take the tents to Ice Cap while he stayed behind to welcome his awakening wyvern.

Russell witnessed Black Oil Dragon Rosai emerge as a newborn Wyvern and recognized it as a Concept God. Rosai greeted Russell as her father, and they began the advancement to Wyvern Knight above the newly formed Warm Enclave.

• Magma fissures beneath the Ice Cap crater flooded the surrounding area with spring water as Rosai struggled to be born.
• The collapsing ice cap forced Eric and Grove into the meltwater, while Russell waited above the water and sensed Rosai's immense power.
• Rosai burst from the water, spread her wings, and flew freely through the sky.
• Russell stroked Rosai's face as they greeted each other through their spiritual link and accepted their father-and-child bond.
• Rosai asked Russell to become Wyvern Knights with her, and they began the advancement above the flooded marshland.

Russell used his contract with Black Oil Dragon Rosai to become a Wyvern Knight and flew over the newborn Warm Enclave. He left Eric and Grove to survey the transformed land while he hurried north to Huyang Territory to support his older brother.

• Russell formed a Battle Qi Chain with Rosai and covered his body and Essence Breath with Dragon Breath, gaining immense power and the ability to walk through the air.
• Russell rode Rosai across the sky and saw that her hot spring had melted the surrounding Ice Cap, creating a growing Warm Enclave.
• Eric and Grove greeted Russell and Rosai, and Russell instructed them to contact Fluorite Castle and survey the Warm Enclave.
• Russell flew north with Rosai, Polly, and Harpe to Huyang Territory, leaving Eric and Grove behind.
• Eric and Grove waded out of the flooded area and marveled at Rosai’s size.

Russell left Rosai’s Warm Enclave and rode the enormous Black Oil Dragon to Huyang Castle, where Baron Roman and Baron Gevidas’s marriage negotiations had broken down over their rival political allegiances. Russell’s dramatic arrival halted a tense confrontation between Roman’s Clay Dragon and Gevidas’s Bismuth Hua Dragon, while Roland and Gewen exchanged hopeful glances.

• Russell learned that Rosai gained strength from the Warm Enclave’s earth but returned to normal strength outside it, and he marveled at the dragon’s enormous size.
• Baron Gevidas refused Baron Roman’s request for Roland to marry Gewen unless Roman supported Young Master Kunsley, and the two argued over the succession and Count Merlin’s loyalties.
• Baron Roman rejected Gevidas’s demand and left Huyang Castle with Roland, then challenged Gevidas once more outside the gates.
• Clay Dragon Ross and the Bismuth Hua Dragon each breathed Dragon Breath at the other knight’s side, bringing the confrontation close to a fight.
• Russell arrived on Rosai, whose size and presence overwhelmed the gathering, and his arrival thrilled Roman and Roland while astonishing Gevidas’s family.

Russell returned to the Poplar Desert riding the newly hatched Black Oil Dragon Rosai, forcing Baron Gevidas to abandon his earlier hostility and welcome him. The chapter left Russell and his family being honored at a lavish banquet celebrating his rise as a Wyvern Knight.

• Russell arrived at Huyang Castle on Rosai, and Baron Roman welcomed him as Baron Gevidas and his family stared in shock.
• Russell taunted Baron Gevidas about whether the Poplar Desert welcomed him, and Gevidas quickly apologized and invited the family inside.
• Russell told Rosai to fly nearby without harassing anyone, while Ross and Bismuth Hua Dragon also took to the sky and watched Rosai warily.
• Russell encouraged Gelongtan to keep working at swordsmanship, and Roland thanked Russell for arriving in time to help him and Baron Roman.
• Baron Gevidas hosted a lavish banquet for the knighted lords of the Poplar Desert and toasted Russell as the Shadowflame Grand Duchy's newest young Wyvern Knight.

At the banquet, Gelontan decided to leave the Poplar Desert and become Russell’s follower after seeing how Russell’s new status as a Wyvern Knight changed the way others treated him. The chapter ended with Gelontan kneeling before Russell and asking to follow him and win achievements together.

• Gelontan watched the guests toast Russell and realized how much Russell’s status as a Wyvern Knight had changed his family’s attitude toward him.
• Gelontan decided that he wanted to follow Russell rather than rely on his family to secure a noble fief for him.
• Baron Roman and Baron Gevidas renewed their marriage alliance proposal, and Gewen agreed to marry Roland.
• Russell left the banquet to rest, and Joanna asked Gelontan to escort him to the guest room.
• Gelontan knelt before Russell and declared that he wanted to follow him and win achievements together.

Gelongtan asked Russell to accept him as a follower, but Russell told him to seek his parents’ approval and make the pledge publicly. Russell then hunted Snow Ghosts with Little Dream Dragon, while nobles in Guangguang River Valley watched the Warm Enclave expand and celebrated his achievement as a dragon rider.

• Gelongtan pledged himself to Russell, who refused to accept him without his parents’ approval and witnesses.
• Russell entered the Dark Dreamscape with Little Dream Dragon and showed Rosai’s magical outline to Polly and Snowy.
• Russell flew beyond Huyang Territory and hunted Snow Ghosts across the snowfields so Little Dream Dragon could eat.
• Old Madam Ingrid, Madam Meryl, and the nobles of Guangguang River Valley watched the Warm Enclave expand across the melting snowfields.
• Marcus declared that losing to Russell was a glorious defeat, and several nobles said they wanted to send their descendants to Russell as followers.
• Old Madam Ingrid thanked Meryl for bearing Russell, and Meryl called his excellence their shared pride.

Count Merlin learned that Russell Fluorite Mushroom had contracted with the newly born Black Oil Dragon Rosai and advanced to Wyvern Knight, prompting the Elder Council to convene and plan his reward. The council proposed granting Russell Grand Duchy Nobleman status and Warm Enclave as his territory.

• Count Merlin reviewed Kroya's report that a search of the eastern border's Lightning Rod Points had found no trace of Snow Giant Da.
• An assistant told Count Merlin that Russell had contracted with a newly born Black Oil Dragon and become a Wyvern Knight.
• Messenger Raphael confirmed that Russell found the dragon east of Guangguang River Valley, named it Lord Rosai, and then went to the Poplar Desert after Roman.
• Princess Anxia asked the Elder Council to discuss a reward for Russell, and Count Merlin convened the council.
• Lord Kunbei proposed granting Russell the title of Grand Duchy Nobleman, giving him Warm Enclave, and announcing the award in an extra edition of the official gazette.

Princess Anxia worried that Russell’s success as a Wyvern Knight might draw the Shadowflame Dragon’s attention, while Baron Kunbif feared Russell’s new strength would shift the balance in the Young Masters’ selection. The chapter ended with Marquis Arno dismissing the dragon-riding news and deciding to leave Russell’s share of the cigar trade at twenty percent.

• Princess Kunlaya trained hard and told Princess Anxia she hoped to earn His Highness Shadowflame’s recognition, but her mother warned her to aim for a wyvern instead.
• Princess Anxia prayed to the sleeping Shadowflame Dragon and reported that Russell had ridden Rosay, bringing another Warm Enclave to its territory.
• Baron Kunbif secretly visited Marquis Arno and warned that Russell’s advancement gave Young Master Mel another powerful ally and threatened Kunsley’s prospects.
• Marquis Arno urged Kunbif to recruit more Wyvern Knights and dismissed concerns about Russell, reasoning that the Shadowflame Dragon could not resist its circumstances.
• Marquis Arno decided to keep eighty percent of the cigar trade’s profits rather than demand another ten percent, citing the need to give Russell some respect.

Marquis Arno sent the Scorching Torrent king news that Russell had become a Wyvern Knight, and the king resolved that such a talent should not escape his grasp. Russell accepted Gelontan as a follower, returned to Fluorite Castle, and was welcomed by his family.

• Marquis Arno wrote to the king about Russell inventing cigars and becoming a Wyvern Knight, and the king praised Russell's talent while dismissing the news as secondary to state affairs.
• After Roland's marriage alliance with Miss Gewen was settled, Russell prepared to leave Huyang Castle for his territory.
• Gelontan knelt before Russell and asked to become his follower, and Russell accepted his loyalty and told him to remain at Huyang Castle until Gewen's wedding.
• Russell rode Rosai back toward his territory, declined invitations from nearby titled lords, and reached Fluorite Castle three days later.
• Old Madam Ingrid embraced Russell on his return, while Madam Meryl, Laura, and Uncle Rosen greeted him and marveled at his status as a Wyvern Knight.

Russell returned to Fluorite Castle as a Wyvern Knight, prompting Butler Carter to fuss over the preparations for his lunch. During the meal, his family discussed his eldest brother’s engagement and plans for Russell’s Dragon Riding Ceremony, while Russell revealed that he had contracted with Hape.

• Butler Carter anxiously reviewed the menu and ordered the castle staff to prepare carefully for Russell’s first lunch at Fluorite Castle as a Wyvern Knight.
• Old Madam Ingrid and the family discussed how Russell’s rise had helped secure his eldest brother’s marriage to Miss Gewen.
• Madam Meryl proposed holding a grand Dragon Riding Ceremony and inviting Princess Anxia and Marquis Arno.
• Old Madam Ingrid suggested Russell visit Kingtop Castle to meet his uncle by marriage, a fellow Wyvern Knight, and spar with him.
• Russell told Uncle Rosen that he had contracted with Hape, though his synchronization with Hape was weaker than with Polly.
• Uncle Rosen praised Russell’s talent and joked that even Shadowflame Dragon choosing to contract with him would no longer surprise him.

Russell explored the newly formed Warm Enclave with Black Oil Dragon Rosai and his knights, assessing its terrain and unusual signs of life. He left the territory hopeful about its future and with his retainers pledging their loyalty.

• Russell returned to Wuyou Snake Manor on Rosai, left Polly and Hape with Butler Morris, then flew to the Warm Enclave.
• Russell surveyed the enclave from above and saw that it had expanded into a triangular plain centered on the hot spring, though snowmelt still had no outlet.
• Eric reported that the knights had found no black oil deposits, and Russell explained that such deposits could take years to form and that Rosai would sense them.
• Russell explored the dried land with his retainers, found grass, saplings, and an ant nest, and accepted Katie's explanation that Earth Power protected life in the Warm Enclave.
• Russell declared that they would build their new home there, and Katie, Eric, Tom, and the other knights swore to follow him.

Russell named his new Warm Enclave Blackfire Land and considered how it might connect to his other territories as they expanded. Back at Wuyou Snake Manor, he planned a public celebration of his dragon-riding achievement and reflected on how far he had come.

• Russell named the Warm Enclave opened by Black Oil Dragon Rosai Blackfire Land and left it for Wuyou Snake Manor.
• Russell mapped out future northern and southern trade routes, then worried about finding enough people to develop the expanding territory.
• Russell returned to Wuyou Snake Manor, where Charles proposed ways to celebrate his dragon-riding achievement.
• Russell chose a song and dance gathering for the celebration and asked Charles to coordinate it with Fluorite Castle's ceremony.
• After dinner, Russell admired his Contract Partners and the night sky, grateful that he was no longer alone and amazed he had become a Wyvern Knight.

Russell learned that the Treasure Seeking Mouse Squad had found an Amber Bug sealed in amber, and he formed a blood contract with it. As the dried-up lizard inside began to awaken, rumors about Russell spread and playwright Nicholas prepared a play inspired by him.

• Nobles and tavern patrons across the Shadowflame Grand Duchy discussed Russell becoming a Wyvern Knight, while playwright Nicholas began writing Riding the Dragon Youth Journey under the name Suluo.
• Katie brought Russell an Amber Stone that Jerry had received from the Treasure Seeking Mouse Squad after they found it in the Blackfire Land.
• Russell rewarded Jerry for finding the Amber Bug, then confiscated the promised Magic Potions as a teasing punishment and asked Katie to reward him with food.
• Russell explained the Amber Bug’s value to Katie and promised her a pearl necklace for discovering it.
• Russell formed a blood contract with the Amber Stone, and the sealed lizard began to awaken.

Russell freed the Gecko Amber Bug from its Amber Stone and gained its Limb Regeneration ability, while it expanded the Dark Dreamscape clone. After celebrating with his Amber Bugs, he began training as a Wyvern Knight with Rosai.

• The Gecko burst out of the Amber Stone, merged into Russell, and gained the name Gecko Amber Bug.
• Russell discovered Gecko Amber Bug could regenerate severed limbs, provided he had enough magic power and time.
• Russell found that Gecko expanded the Dark Dreamscape clone's radius to six meters, and Little Dream Dragon agreed to search for more Amber Stones.
• Russell and the Amber Bugs searched the summer snowfield for Snow Ghosts but found none, so Russell promised to hunt Snow Demons with Rosai after the Dragon Riding Ceremony.
• Russell trained his synchronization with Harpe and his Sword Control Technique, then began practicing Battle Qi Dragon Martial Arts with Rosai.

Lord Minol discussed his son Mickel’s marriage to Malena and prepared to travel to Guangguang River Valley for Russell’s Dragon Riding Ceremony. At a teahouse, he learned that Rain Dragon Cigars had become scarce and expensive, and his friends urged him to use his ties to Marcus to obtain more.

• Lord Minol and his wife agreed that Mickel and Malena’s marriage looked promising now that Russell’s fame had raised the Fluorite Mushroom Family’s standing.
• Minol decided to travel to Guangguang River Valley and told his wife to have Mickel invite Malena along.
• At a teahouse in Furious Wind City, Minol’s friends praised Russell’s cigars and said even White Dew Cigars had become difficult to find.
• Minol learned that White Dew Cigars now sold for ten silver coins each on the black market and considered buying crates to resell.
• Minol’s friends planned to bring back cartloads of Rain Dragon Cigars from the Dragon Riding Ceremony and urged him to ask Marcus to help them obtain cigars.

Russell rejected further expansion of tobacco cultivation and planned to protect the Cigar Factory’s quality while preparing it for visiting nobles. After Old Hans volunteered Tall Hans to help survey Blackfire Land, Russell trained his elder brother Roland in swordsmanship and found his own skill nearing another breakthrough.

• Russell told Old Hans to buy tobacco from Sancha River Mouth rather than reduce grain production, and instructed him to maintain cigar quality and prepare the factory for the Dragon Riding Ceremony.
• Russell directed Old Hans to improve the factory’s appearance and establish a laboratory to study cigar-making, while postponing research into cigarettes.
• Old Hans asked Russell to send his son Tall Hans to help survey the Hot Spring Area in Blackfire Land, and Russell agreed.
• Russell reflected on his shortage of capable people and his plans to attract knights and serfs after the Dragon Riding Ceremony.
• Roland arrived at Wuyou Snake Manor to seek swordsmanship guidance from Russell, and Eric, Grove, Katie, and others joined their lesson.
• As Russell taught the group, he noticed subtle flaws in his technique and sensed that his swordsmanship was about to advance.

A special gazette announced Russell’s dragon riding, new title, and territory, prompting Baron Davis and Roby to prepare for his Dragon Riding Ceremony. Their discussion left unresolved their disagreement over whether Diana’s future child could inherit Kingtop Castle.

• A Messenger Knight delivered an extra issue of the gazette to Kingtop Castle celebrating Russell’s dragon riding.
• Baron Davis read that Russell had been granted the title of Grand Duchy Nobleman and the Black Oil Dragon’s Warm Enclave as his territory.
• Baron Davis reconsidered going out and agreed with Roby that they should prepare for Russell’s Dragon Riding Ceremony.
• Roby argued that Diana’s future child should be eligible to inherit, but Davis insisted it was different and redirected the discussion to Russell’s gift.

Guests arrived at Fluorite Castle for Russell’s upcoming Dragon Riding Ceremony, including relatives and nobles eager to celebrate his new status as a Wyvern Knight. Russell showed them Blackfire Land and avoided Boris’s attempts to arrange a match with his sister.

• Viscount Meijie and Kuna arrived, and Russell exchanged warm greetings with them.
• Baron Curis and Madam Kunti arrived with Cooper and Rowena; Kunti treated Russell and Madam Meryl with conspicuous enthusiasm.
• Russell welcomed Cooper and Rowena, then Rowena asked to see his dragon and tour Blackfire Land.
• After the luncheon, Russell sent Eric, Grove, and Katie to guide the guests across the snowfield to Blackfire Land.
• Boris tried to introduce his sister to Russell, but Russell redirected the group to the hot springs and refused to entertain the match.

Princess Anxia’s convoy reached Fluorite Castle for Russell’s Dragon Riding Ceremony, where the nobles gathered to honor him and his dragon. As the celebrations approached, Augustus and Dai Wen’s strained marriage and the Water Willow Family’s ambitions came into view.

• Princess Anxia and Princess Kunlaya stopped at the Four Seasons Flower Sea Cold Spring Point, where Kunlaya saw Quail-like Dragons and wondered about the region’s past.
• The convoy arrived at Red Bat Cave, where Old Madam Ingrid and the gathered nobles welcomed Princess Anxia and praised Russell for riding a dragon and opening a Warm Enclave.
• Russell and Mel joked and embraced after Mel teased him about showing off before becoming the Manganese Steel Dragon Knight.
• The nobles gathered at Fluorite Castle for Russell’s Dragon Riding Ceremony, and Augustus envied Black Oil Dragon Rosai while his mother encouraged him to pursue a wyvern.
• Madam Kunli scolded Dai Wen for wandering away from Augustus, and Augustus dismissed his wife’s appeal for support while insisting her family help him become grand duke.

Russell’s Dragon Riding Ceremony was celebrated across Guangguang River Valley, while guests at Fluorite Castle sought to connect young knights to him as potential followers. Russell considered how to choose and train followers and attendants, and whether to establish a vocational school in Glimmering Town.

• The subjects of Guangguang River Valley celebrated Russell’s dragon ride, and the Fluorite Mushroom Family distributed two copper coins to each of its sixty or seventy thousand subjects.
• Serfs at Wuyou Snake Manor gathered in Small Market Town, where Old Barton and others praised Russell and hoped he would ride a giant dragon.
• At Fluorite Castle’s ball, Malena introduced her fiancé Mickel to Russell before the couple went to dance.
• Russell suspected Mickel wanted to become his follower and reflected that several noble families were hoping to place young knights under his command.
• Russell resolved to judge prospective followers by their character and strength, and considered training more knights, attendants, and technical workers.

At his Dragon Riding Ceremony, Russell reflected on his bonds, his wish to explore Dragon Sleep Continent, and Princess Kunlaya’s confinement at Red Castle. He spoke with Count Merlin about his future and the impossibility of contracting the Shadowflame Dragon, leaving him resolved to pursue achievements and a barony instead.

• Russell stepped away from the celebration, told Polly he wanted to travel beyond the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, and agreed they would explore the world together someday.
• Princess Kunlaya joined Russell, praised his territory, and said good night before returning to Red Castle with her matrons.
• Russell worried about Princess Anxia and Kunlaya’s futures after his cousin won the election, and resolved to help them if he could.
• Count Merlin asked Russell about his plans, and Russell said he wanted to earn a barony as soon as possible.
• Russell asked Count Merlin whether anyone outside the Shadowflame Family could contract the Shadowflame Dragon, and Merlin said dragons would not change riders without a contract.

Russell learned from Count Merlin that Snow Giants might be harvesting the Dragon Sleep Continent’s Earth Power, leaving him to wonder whether dragons were their true prey. Meanwhile, Baron Roman asked Clay Dragon Ross about his unease around Russell, and Ross sensed an aura like those of unicorns and owls.

• Count Merlin told Russell he feared the Scorching Torrent Kingdom was exploiting the Grand Duchy’s internal conflict and might be sacrificing it.
• Count Merlin explained the rumor that Snow Demons had frozen the continent to drain its Earth Power, and Russell considered whether Snow Giants hunted dragons to harvest their Origin Dragon Flame.
• Baron Roman noticed Ross watching the newly born Black Oil Dragon Rosai and asked why he was paying such close attention.
• Ross told Baron Roman that Russell carried an unfamiliar aura similar to those around unicorns and owls, which made Ross react badly.
• Baron Roman reassured Ross that Russell would not harm him and toasted the prosperity of the Fluorite Mushroom Family.