Recaps

Russell prepared his knights for travel across the snowfields while Rosie spent the day exploring the manor grounds. Rosie visited her Worm Grass and the Bear Bee yard, then returned safely to Russell.

• Baron Roman and his lords planned to restore their thunder beast carts and seek Red Castle's permission to trade for serfs.
• Russell added extra Battle Aura and martial arts practice to prepare his knights for the snowfield journey.
• Rosie visited her Worm Grass in Magic Potion Tunic, then followed a Bear Bee to its yard and played among the swarm.
• Big Beard Kenny and his wife recognized Rosie and bowed to her, while Kenny warned his wife not to covet the magical bird.
• Rosie flew back to Russell, who told her to stay nearby, and she chirped in reply.

Russell accompanied the Knight Order across the snowfields, gathering Hail Beads for Little Dream Dragon while continuing to hone the Radiant Sword Technique. The expedition reached the flower-filled Four Seasons Flower Sea, where Baron Roman’s orders protected the flowers and insects.

• Russell accepted his support role and helped kill scattered Snow Ghosts, collecting six Hail Beads on the first day.
• Eric advised Russell to focus on perfecting the Radiant Sword Technique rather than learning other sword techniques before he could project Battle Aura.
• Russell found no Snow Ghosts during his nighttime rides or over the next two days, and fed Little Dream Dragon the few Hail Beads he had earned.
• Russell followed the Knight Order to the Four Seasons Flower Sea, a warm Cold Spring Point filled with flowers and sunlight.
• A messenger knight relayed Baron Roman’s orders forbidding anyone from damaging the flowers or killing insects as the Knight Order entered the camping area.

Russell encountered a Quail-like Dragon in the Four Seasons Flower Sea and learned that the primordial beasts were believed to protect the flowerbeds’ warmth. After Baron Roman warned him not to harm them or pry into the Shadowflame Dragon’s secrets, Russell returned to dine with his subordinates.

• Russell and Roland spotted a tiny, colorful creature in the tulip beds, and Roland identified it as a Quail-like Dragon.
• Russell asked whether Quail-like Dragons were pseudo-dragons’ descendants, and he compared them to the Bear Bees he had discovered.
• Roland explained that Quail-like Dragons could not be raised elsewhere and that eating them had once caused the Four Seasons Flower Sea to freeze.
• Russell asked Baron Roman about the creatures, and the baron confirmed their close connection to the Four Seasons Flower Sea and warned Russell not to harm them.
• Russell declined Baron Roman’s offer of wine and chose to eat with his subordinates instead.

Russell explored the Quail-like Dragons in the Dark Dreamscape but found no clues about their origins. He then led Little Dream Dragon across the snowfield, where they devoured several groups of Snow Ghosts and cautiously approached a Snow Demon.

• Russell wondered whether the Quail-like Dragons descended from false dragons and decided to study them using Little Dream Dragon’s dreams.
• Russell and Little Dream Dragon searched the flowerbeds but found nothing unusual about the Quail-like Dragons.
• Russell guided Little Dream Dragon onto the snowfield, where they found and devoured eight Snow Ghosts.
• Russell spotted more groups of Snow Ghosts and urged Little Dream Dragon to eat quickly as they moved from group to group.
• Russell noticed a Snow Demon and cautiously tested whether it could detect them in the Dark Dreamscape.
• Russell confirmed the Snow Demon did not react and gave Little Dream Dragon permission to eat it.

Russell and Little Dream Dragon hunted Snow Demons in the Dark Dreamscape, while the Knight Order traveled through the frozen trade routes toward Glimmering Market. Roland explained the family’s ceramic smuggling business and promised to introduce Russell to noble ladies at the market.

• Little Dream Dragon overcame a Snow Demon’s resistance, devoured its two Ice Soul Beads, and left Russell delighted by the valuable haul.
• The next morning, Russell departed with the Knight Order, and Little Dream Dragon stayed away for several days while digesting the Ice Soul Beads.
• After the Knight Order cleared the Shanhe Trade Route, Roland told Russell that their family tolerated smuggling through Ceramic Cave and expected Russell to learn the business from Uncle Rosen.
• The Knight Order passed through Ceramic Cave, where Cave Freemen sold goods and some knights left the formation to approach women by the roadside.
• Roland told Russell that Glimmering Market lay ahead and offered to introduce him to several noble ladies.

Russell explored Glimmering Market with the Red-eyed Rat King after refusing Roland’s offer to spend the night with him and Bar. The M-shaped mark of Little Dream Dragon grew hot near the Stubborn Stone stonemason’s shop, alerting Russell that Snowflake had found something there.

• Russell declined Roland’s invitation to stay with him and Bar, then took the Red-eyed Rat King to look around Glimmering Market.
• Russell fed the Red-eyed Rat King grilled ribs and continued through the busy market.
• Russell passed a stonemason’s shop called Stubborn Stone, where Little Dream Dragon’s mark began to burn.
• Russell realized Snowflake was warning him about something at the shop.

Russell followed Little Dream Dragon’s signal to a boulder and discovered an Amber Bug sealed inside it. After contracting with the seedlike creature, he watched it sprout into a tiny thornbush and gain a Thorn Mark on his palm.

• Russell searched the Stubborn Stone Masonry for the stone favored by Little Dream Dragon’s M-shaped Mark.
• Russell bought the marked boulder and had the Red-eyed Rat King bite it apart, revealing a translucent orange-yellow amber.
• Russell found a shriveled seedlike creature inside the amber and contracted with it using two drops of blood.
• The seed absorbed the amber, took root in Russell’s palm, and grew into a tiny thornbush that communicated thoughts of sunlight and happiness.
• Russell named the creature the Thorn Amber Bug, and its Thorn Mark appeared beside the Sword Butterfly Mark on his palm.

Russell explored the Thorn Amber Bug’s ability and discovered he could summon and control a durable, regenerating thorn whip with a range of five meters. He considered how the ability might develop and wondered why Little Dream Dragon liked Ice Soul Beads despite disliking Snow Demon Power.

• Russell probed the Thorn Mark and learned that the Thorn Amber Bug could produce a controllable thorn whip.
• Russell summoned a five-meter whip, tested its strength by smashing a stone, and found it could shrink and regenerate using his Battle Aura.
• Russell had the Red-eyed Rat King bite the whip, and it broke through only by using its full strength.
• Russell judged the whip useful against ordinary foes but weak against powerful knights and Phantom Beasts, while hoping the Thorn Amber Bug could grow stronger.
• Russell wondered whether the Thorn Amber Bug could expand his Dark Dreamscape avatar’s range and questioned why Little Dream Dragon liked Ice Soul Beads.
• Russell left the dirt slope with the Thorn Amber Bug contracted.

Russell returned to the Knight Order's camp, then joined Baron Roman's force in clearing Snow Ghosts along the Shanhe Trade Route. After a week, the knights reached the Red Bat Cave, while Russell worried over Little Dream Dragon's long sleep and the expense of feeding it.

• Russell and Eric ate dinner at the Knight Order's camp and discussed the cooking at Green Leaf Tavern, Wuyou Snake Manor, and Fluorite Castle.
• Baron Roman returned from Glimmering Market, received Kendall's report, and ordered the knights to clear Snow Ghosts within fifty miles of the Shanhe Trade Route.
• Russell fought alongside the Knight Order, using Battle Aura resonance carefully while his squad collected Hail Beads from defeated Snow Ghosts.
• After a week, the Knight Order cleared the route and returned to the Red Bat Cave with four superior Hail Beads and sixty-one ordinary Hail Beads.
• Russell worried that Little Dream Dragon had slept for eleven days and considered asking his mother to invest because he had little money left to raise it.

At Fluorite Castle, Russell received Mel Monochoria’s invitation to stay at Bluebird Castle and learned that his grandfather had retired and returned to Sancha River Mouth. He proposed that Baron Roman and Madam Meryl invest in Wuyou Snake Manor, leaving the family ready to consider the offer.

• Old Butler Carter delivered a letter from Bluebird Castle to Russell and brought Baron Roman the court bulletin announcing Earl Merlin Monochoria’s retirement and return to his territory.
• Roland asked to go to Red Castle to seek opportunities under Grand Duke Kunsitan, while Madam Meryl planned a family visit to her father at Sancha River Mouth.
• Russell read Mel Monochoria’s invitation to stay at Bluebird Castle for a month and agreed to settle his territorial affairs before going.
• Russell proposed that his parents invest in Wuyou Snake Manor’s fifteen hundred acres of Fluorite Mushroom Potion Fields, and Roland urged them to discuss the investment.

Russell returned to Wuyou Snake Manor after arranging an investment from Fluorite Castle and prepared his territory for an extended trip to visit his grandfather. That night, Little Dream Dragon finally appeared in the Dark Dreamscape after twelve days, and Russell examined it for changes.

• Russell signed a contract for Fluorite Castle to invest one thousand Gold Coins in exchange for half the output of his fifteen hundred acres of Magic Potion Fields at a discount, and he refused Roland's offer to invest more.
• Russell left Fluorite Castle and returned to Wuyou Snake Manor, where he distributed Gold Coin rewards to his retainers and entrusted the remaining money to Butler Morris.
• Russell told Charles that he would meet with the territory's officials the next day and explained that he would soon travel with his family to visit Earl Merlin Monochoria at Sancha River Mouth.
• Russell spent the afternoon resting and testing whether the Thorn Amber Bug could grow in sunlight, but he noticed no change.
• Little Dream Dragon appeared in the Dark Dreamscape after twelve days, and Russell examined it to see whether digesting two Ice Soul Beads had changed it.

Russell confirmed that Little Dream Dragon was growing after his horns forked, and discovered that Thorn bloomed when placed on one of the dragon’s horns. He explored the expanded Dark Dreamscape and decided to pursue Snow Demons for more Ice Soul Beads, while Little Dream Dragon objected to giving up Hail Beads.

• Russell noticed Little Dream Dragon’s thicker legs, larger head, changing scale patterns, and newly forked horns, confirming that he was growing.
• The Sword Butterfly delivered Thorn as a tiny thorn plant, and Russell found that Thorn rooted around Little Dream Dragon’s horn and grew a pinkish-white flower.
• Russell rode Little Dream Dragon through the Dark Dreamscape and found that its radius had expanded by about seventy-five meters, increasing its area by roughly one hundred mu.
• Russell decided they would keep hunting Snow Demons for Ice Soul Beads and told Little Dream Dragon to stop eating Hail Beads, prompting the dragon to protest.

Russell celebrated expanding the Dark Dreamscape's light radius and opening the main meridians in both arms. He also learned that some clams implanted with crushed shells or clay residue had survived and might be forming pearls, then began arranging the estate's development during his coming absence.

• Russell found no new magical lights around the manor, but the Sword Butterfly and Thorn Amber Bug expanded the illuminated radius in the Dark Dreamscape to three meters.
• Russell opened the main meridians in both arms after months of sword training and proudly announced his breakthrough to Eric and the Knight Retainers.
• Ribs Jimmy told Russell that clams implanted with crushed shells or clay residue had survived better than those given gemstone chips or Jade Powder, and that several had small bumps where the nuclei were placed.
• Russell ordered Ribs Jimmy to return the clams to the ponds, gather another batch, and stock all the ponds with clams implanted with crushed shells and clay residue.
• Russell invited Charles and several officials to a meeting to plan the estate's development during his absence of more than a month.

Russell left Wuyou Snake Manor in the care of his staff and traveled to Fluorite Castle with Ram and Red-eye to join his family for a journey to Bluebird Castle. The family expected to arrive in time for his grandfather’s birthday, though Madam Meryl worried about delays on the road.

• Russell entrusted Wuyou Snake Manor to Charles, Eric, and Old Hans, and promised not to return alone without an escort if Bluebird Castle sent no one.
• Russell rode to Fluorite Castle with Ram and Red-eye, carrying a Jade Box with Rosie and his six other Spirit Worms for the spirit gathering.
• Russell encouraged Ram’s riding and sword practice and reassured him that Snow Ghosts did not cover the trade routes.
• Russell joined Baron Roman, Madam Meryl, and Roland for dinner at Fluorite Castle before their planned departure the next day.
• Madam Meryl worried that the family might be delayed before reaching Bluebird Castle for her father’s birthday on September 9th.
• Roland teased that noble ladies had fought over his grandfather at balls, and Madam Meryl praised her father’s lifelong charm.

Russell chose to make cigars as a thoughtful, inexpensive birthday gift for Count Merlin, then traveled with his family from Fluorite Castle. On the road, Roland explained that the Glow Scorpion was difficult to contract because of its erratic mind.

• Madam Meryl urged Russell to prepare a thoughtful gift for Count Merlin, while Roland revealed that he had found the original manuscript of Snowflake Rhapsody for him.
• Russell decided to give Count Merlin cigars, a novel way of smoking, and hoped the unusual gift would earn his grandfather's appreciation.
• Little Dream Dragon tried to reach the Ice Soul Beads in Fluorite Castle's treasury, but Russell warned it that taking them could draw the Shadowflame Dragon's attention.
• Russell's family departed Fluorite Castle in a convoy escorted by knights and six Phantom Beasts.
• Russell asked Roland about the Glow Scorpion, and Roland said its erratic mind made it difficult to form a contract with.

Russell traveled with his family through the frozen wilderness toward Bluebird Castle, then explained the lost seasons to Laura beneath the stars. Roland shared a legend that a Frost Giant was the source of the Snow Demons, but he had little further information.

• At Great Wind Manor, Old Madam Ingrid sent birthday wishes and a gift for Old Earl with Roland's family.
• Russell and his family traveled through Red Bat Cave and reached the third Cold Spring Point by nightfall.
• Russell accompanied Laura outside to look at the stars and explained that spring, summer, autumn, and winter had once shaped Dragon Sleep Continent's seasons.
• Roland joined Russell and Laura with roasted sweet potatoes and told them the Frost Giant legend, claiming Snow Demons came from its frost and Snow Giants from its saliva.
• Russell asked Roland for more details about the Frost Giant, but Roland said he knew no more, so Russell led Laura back to sleep.

Russell and Little Dream Dragon hunted Snow Ghosts in the Dark Dreamscape, eventually devouring a Snow Demon before Little Dream Dragon fell asleep. The next day, Russell’s party left the Ice Snow Great Wall and reached the territory of Sancha River Mouth, heading for Bluebird Castle.

• Russell and Little Dream Dragon searched the snowfields and devoured three groups of Snow Ghosts on their first night.
• Russell and Little Dream Dragon found only one small group of Snow Ghosts on the following night.
• Russell stopped Little Dream Dragon from eating a Snow Demon’s Ice Soul Bead until it had devoured the surrounding Snow Ghosts.
• Little Dream Dragon absorbed the Snow Demon’s power, swallowed its Ice Soul Bead, and fell asleep.
• Russell’s party traveled from the Cold Spring Point into Sancha River Mouth, and Baron Roman ordered the carriages to hurry toward Bluebird Castle.

Russell and Roland discussed the Shadowflame Grand Duchy’s population and governance as their convoy crossed the Boundary Mountains and reached Bluebird Castle. There, Baron Roman’s family reunited with their Monochoria relatives and was welcomed by Earl Fuqiang Merlin Monochoria.

• Roland told Russell that Red Castle controlled population growth because the land and its development affected the Shadowflame Dragon.
• Roland said he and Baron Roman planned to learn Grandfather’s intentions about easing restrictions on the Serf Trade.
• The convoy crossed the Boundary Mountains and reached the river-mouth plains, where Russell saw Bluebird Castle and its two Wyverns, Mercedes and Medicarren.
• Mel Monochoria rode out to greet Baron Roman, Madam Meryl, Roland, Russell, and Laura before escorting them to the castle.
• Earl Fuqiang Merlin Monochoria welcomed Baron Roman and Madam Meryl at Bluebird Castle’s gates.

Roman, Meryl, and Russell arrived at Bluebird Castle and reunited with Earl Merlin and the Monochoria family. Over dinner, Earl Merlin praised Russell’s Battle Aura progress, while Russell sensed that Kuna Shadowflame was not pleased by the family’s visit.

• Earl Merlin welcomed Roman and Meryl home, and Viscount Meijie and Kuna Shadowflame greeted them as well.
• Earl Merlin warmly greeted Russell and Laura, then invited Russell to treat Bluebird Castle as his home.
• Mel led Russell into the castle, teased him about his strength, and urged him to cultivate Battle Aura.
• Russell served as his family’s personal manservant during dinner and focused on the dishes containing magic power.
• Earl Merlin asked about Russell’s cultivation, and Russell explained that he had opened the main meridians in both arms and was working on his legs.

At a family dinner, Russell drew attention for acquiring Rosie the Fluorite Mushroom Bird and the Red-eyed Rat King, then met Vivi, the Great Elf of Monochoria, in the castle corridors. Vivi set off to visit Lord Mercedes but headed the wrong way, convinced she could circle around and return.

• Count Merlin brushed aside Baron Roman’s questions about serf policy and turned the family’s attention to Russell’s new sprite and Phantom Beast.
• Mel praised Russell’s gains, and Count Merlin toasted the Grand Duchy’s outstanding young people as the family celebrated.
• After dinner, Russell settled the Red-eyed Rat King in a temporary resting room and warned him to stay out of danger.
• Russell met Vivi, who said she knew Roman but liked Russell’s looks, while a maid identified Vivi as the Great Elf of Monochoria.
• Vivi announced she was going to visit Lord Mercedes, then ignored the maids’ directions and flew toward the castle’s exit.

Russell discovered that Little Dream Dragon could use Hail Beads to give him a brief view of the real world through the Dark Dreamscape. He named the new ability Dark Dreamscape Gaze and decided its short duration made it costly to use often.

• Russell thought about Vivi, the Monochoria Family’s great elf, and wished he could see her magical glow in the Dark Dreamscape.
• Russell’s M-shaped Mark burned, and a Hail Bead melted into it, bringing the Dark Dreamscape’s vision over his surroundings.
• Russell explored his room and the gallery, seeing magical glows and Manganese Steel Dragon Mercedes burning crimson atop an arrow tower near Bluebird Castle.
• The vision faded after about a minute, and Russell realized the ability consumed Hail Beads, with stronger beads extending its duration.
• Russell named the ability Dark Dreamscape Gaze, and the M-shaped Mark flashed as Little Dream Dragon responded while digesting the Ice Soul Bead.

Russell reflected on Little Dream Dragon’s unusual abilities and wondered whether his own thoughts had influenced her growth, but she did not appear in his dream that night. At breakfast at Bluebird Castle, Cousin Mel criticized Grand Duke Kunstan and praised Russell’s potential, prompting Russell to say he felt offended.

• Russell considered Little Dream Dragon’s abilities, her origins, and whether his subconscious could influence her growth.
• Little Dream Dragon did not appear, and Russell did not dream that night.
• Russell met his elder brother Roland and ate Magic Food at Bluebird Castle, explaining that he wanted every chance to strengthen his Battle Aura.
• Cousin Mel joined them for breakfast and said he would rather remain at Sancha River Mouth than help Grand Duke Kunstan, whom he disliked.
• Mel claimed Russell could develop Battle Aura earlier than Kunstan if he had the Grand Duke’s resources, and Russell said he felt offended.

Russell spent the day at Bluebird Castle with Mel, visited Rosie and the Spirit Worms, and met Lord Fishel, the Grand Duke’s envoy. As Count Merlin and Fishel reminisced, Russell decided his heart was still that of a twenty-year-old after noticing a maid.

• Russell toured Bluebird Castle with Mel, who offered to let him ride Lord Medicarren someday and suggested they fight side by side.
• Russell visited the spirit room, reunited with Rosie, and joked with Vivi Your Excellency before leaving at the housekeeper’s request.
• Louis summoned Russell to the hall, where Madam Meryl introduced him to Lord Fishel, the Grand Duke’s envoy.
• Count Merlin greeted Fishel warmly, and the two old knights reminisced about their shared past.
• Russell watched the guests and decided he felt young again after noticing a maid.

Russell met his aunt Madam Melinda and her family when they arrived at Bluebird Castle for Count Merlin's birthday banquet. After greeting his relatives and getting to know Saisel's wife and children, Russell left them to rest, while Saisel noticed the difference in how their families were treated.

• Russell continued helping his parents welcome guests and endured the long round of introductions.
• Viscount Meijie led the family to greet Madam Melinda and Lord Saislo at the castle gates.
• Madam Melinda reunited emotionally with her sisters and greeted Mel, Roland, Russell, and Laura.
• Russell introduced himself to Saisel, Nella, and their children, Saiken and Saihan.
• Russell stayed to speak with Saisel and Nella before heading upstairs, while Saisel envied Russell's family's more privileged accommodation.

At Count Merlin’s birthday celebration, Russell struggled through a day of noble socializing before reuniting with his sister Rowena and learning she was pregnant. Cousin Mel then prepared him for the evening ball, where he planned to make a splash despite Russell’s wish to stay low-key.

• Saisel and Nella discussed Roland and Russell, and Saisel complained that he disliked Bluebird Castle and did not want to celebrate Count Merlin’s birthday.
• Guests arrived in droves for Count Merlin’s birthday, and Russell was exhausted after greeting nobles whose names he could barely remember.
• Rowena and Cooper arrived to celebrate, and Rowena told Russell she was three months pregnant and asked him not to tell their parents yet.
• Meigan summoned Russell to join Count Merlin and his old comrades for tea, and Russell went with Rowena to the side hall.
• Cousin Mel told Russell to wear the custom tailcoats he had made for him and join the family at the ball after dinner.