Chapter Summaries

Russell and his allies began the Dog Catching Mice Plan to exterminate the rats and lure out the Rat King. After finding the Rat King’s nest in the Dark Dreamscape, Russell left Kevin watching the passage where it would emerge.

• Charles named Kevin as the Vanguard Officer responsible for taking down the Rat King, and Russell approved the plan to begin exterminating the rats.
• The estate’s serfs and cats helped clear rats from Cave Tunic while Russell’s group guarded Wolf Head Cavern overnight.
• Russell ate roasted rat meat to encourage the serfs to accept it as food.
• Russell, Little Dream Dragon, and Sword Butterfly searched the Dark Dreamscape and found the Rat King hiding in a nest.
• Russell realized the Rat King urgently needed Blood Fang Fungus magic potions to evolve into a Phantom Beast.
• The next morning, Russell found the passage to the Rat King’s nest and told Kevin to watch it.

Russell’s plan to capture the Rat King succeeded when Kevin ambushed it near Wolf Head Cavern. Russell gave the intelligent rat a Magic Potion and secured its loyalty by promising enough resources for it to evolve, leaving the Rat King following him into the sunlight.

• The Rat King entered Wolf Head Cavern seeking Blood Fang Fungus, and Kevin ambushed it and carried it to Russell’s camp by the Xiangshui River.
• Eric confirmed that the Rat King had not yet become a Phantom Beast but could evolve soon with enough magic herbs, while Russell stopped his retainers from crushing it.
• Russell tested whether the Rat King understood human speech and threatened to kill it if it tried to escape.
• Russell gave the Rat King a Magic Potion and promised more if it followed him, and the Rat King rubbed against his leg in acknowledgment.
• The Rat King followed Russell outside despite its fear of sunlight and looked up at the sun.

Russell fed the Rat King Magic Potions until it evolved into the Phantom Beast Red-eyed Rat King, then announced that one of his followers could eventually contract with it. The chapter ended with Russell’s followers resolving to compete for the chance.

• Russell named the Rat King Red-eye and gave it several Magic Potions, then also gave one to Kevin.
• After drinking ten Magic Potions, the Rat King transformed into the Red-eyed Rat King as Russell and the others watched.
• Kevin and Eric prepared to attack, but the newly evolved Red-eyed Rat King calmed down and gratefully rubbed against Russell’s leg.
• Russell celebrated the evolution and told his followers that whoever earned Red-eye’s favor could contract with it in the future.
• Tom, Jack, John, James, Katie, Catherine, Horace, and Charles considered working harder to become eligible to contract with Red-eye.

Russell discovered that the Red-eyed Rat King's magic let it teleport in short bursts, which he named Bloodthirsty Flicker. After eating, the rat led Russell and Kevin from the manor to a hillside on Dagger Mountain near the snow line.

• Russell asked the Red-eyed Rat King to demonstrate its magic after Kevin showed off Explosive Ice Fire.
• The Red-eyed Rat King teleported four times in succession, exhausting itself, and Russell named its ability Bloodthirsty Flicker.
• Russell fed the hungry Red-eyed Rat King while the Knight Retainers watched and imagined the magic's potential.
• The Red-eyed Rat King led Russell and Kevin through Market Tunic and the vineyard estate along Dagger Mountain.
• The Red-eyed Rat King stopped on a hillside near the snow line.

Russell discovered that Red-eye had been stealing Magic Honey from a wild swarm of Origin Beast bees, which had helped it evolve into a Phantom Beast. He brought the hive back to Wuyou Snake Manor, named the bees Bear Bees, and decided to hire an expert to raise them.

• Russell found a wild bee swarm beneath a rock and realized the bees carried magic within themselves.
• Russell concluded that Red-eye had eaten the swarm’s Magic Honey, which helped it evolve into a Phantom Beast.
• Russell returned with a group, and they dug out the enormous hive and carried it to Wuyou Snake Manor.
• Russell named the Origin Beast bees Bear Bees and agreed to hire a Bee Keeper from Fluorite Castle to raise them.

Russell reported his new discoveries to Baron Roman and Madam Meryl, then listened as his father lectured him about strength, responsibility, and serving Lord Ross. He promised to share Bear Bee honey with his family once he successfully raised the swarm.

• Russell told Baron Roman and Madam Meryl that he had found a Phantom Beast and a wild swarm of Origin Beast bees.
• Russell credited his good fortune to his own actions, while Baron Roman declined to search the underground caverns around Guangguang River Valley.
• Baron Roman advised Russell to rely on his own strength and never fail Lord Ross, and Russell listened humbly.
• Russell explained the Bear Bee hive to Laura and promised to send honey to the castle for his family.
• Laura told Russell she liked honey, and he promised she could eat all she wanted.

Russell inspected the slag-brick work and hired Big Beard Kenny as the Bee Keeper for Wuyou Snake Manor. As his parents watched, Madam Meryl pressed Baron Roman to provide Russell with Magic Potions, and he agreed to send him a batch.

• Russell learned that the slag bricks were being pre-fired, then approved Wai Maozi William's plan to fire the blanks directly because appearance did not matter.
• Russell returned to Fluorite Castle without touring town, since Red-eye was still nervous around crowds and might go berserk.
• Charles introduced Big Beard Kenny, and Russell confirmed his beekeeping experience before appointing him Bee Keeper of Wuyou Snake Manor at double his previous pay.
• Madam Meryl praised Russell's growth and insisted that Baron Roman support his cultivation with Magic Potions.
• Baron Roman agreed to tell Carter to bring Russell a batch of Magic Potions.

Russell returned to Wuyou Snake Manor with supplies from his family, and Charles became his retainer. After settling a dispute between Kevin and Red-eye, Russell considered using the Rat King's ability to build an army of rats.

• Russell left Fluorite Castle with a carriage of supplies, thanked his parents, and told Charles he no longer envied Roland or his hopes of riding Lord Ross.
• Charles asked to become Russell's retainer, and Russell performed a simple oath ceremony with his Green Ceramic Sword.
• Russell's party returned safely to Wuyou Snake Manor, where Eric greeted them and Russell invited him to stay for dinner.
• Russell gave Kevin and Red-eye extra food and housed Red-eye beside Kevin's kennel.
• Red-eye summoned several rats to the manor courtyard, and Russell stopped Kevin and Red-eye from fighting, then ordered Red-eye to keep rats away from the estate and protect its crops and grain.
• Russell allowed Red-eye to build a rat army in the underground cave and began considering how to use its talent across Guangguang River Valley.

Russell planned to use Red-eye's authority as Rat King to organize mice to find treasures and watch the border, then learned Windmill Mill had been completed. He held an inauguration ceremony and announced that grinding flour would be free for the first month, hoping to help his serfs save money and make the territory livelier.

• Russell considered creating a Treasure Seeking Mouse Squad and using rats to monitor Xiangshui River Cave and watch for Snow Ghosts.
• Russell and Little Dream Dragon searched the territory overnight for Worm Grass and other treasures but found nothing.
• Russell told Charles to forbid serfs from killing rats and approved forming Treasure Seeking and Sentry Mouse Squads.
• Charles reported that Windmill Mill was complete, and Russell arranged an inauguration ceremony with a month of free flour grinding.
• Russell discussed helping serfs build savings and encouraging trade, then arrived at Windmill Mill's inauguration ceremony in Alfalfa Tunic.

After overseeing new farms and organizing the surviving rats in Cave Tunic, Russell heard Horace propose that he control the underground trade between the caves. Horace suggested opening a black market in Xiangshui River Cave to serve Cave Freemen and attract more people from beyond Guangguang River Valley.

• Russell watched the serfs celebrate Windmill Mill's opening and its offer of one month of free flour grinding.
• Russell inspected the Bear Bee farm in Magic Potion Tunic, where Big Beard Kenny reported that the colony was preparing to split its hive.
• Russell checked the Wuyou Black Pig farm under construction in Lentil Tunic and saw the Wuyou Black Piglet among the Golden Black Pigs.
• Russell took Eric, Kevin, and Red-eyed into Cave Tunic and told Red-eyed to organize the surviving rats into the Sentry Mouse Squad and Treasure Seeking Mouse Squad.
• Horace told Russell that Cave Freemen traded among several caves and proposed opening a black market in Xiangshui River Cave to bring that trade under Russell's control.

Russell considered Horace’s proposal for a legal trading market in Xiangshui River Cave as a way to attract more people and develop his sparsely populated territory. After Baron Roman approved the plan but advised caution, Russell informed neighboring lords and his uncle of his intention to proceed.

• Russell rejected Horace’s idea of a black market but asked him to report a legal cave trading market proposal to Charles for discussion and a final recommendation.
• Russell told Eric that the market could attract freemen and help address Guangguang River Valley’s shortage of people, which hindered the territory’s development.
• Russell shared his ambition to expand beyond Wuyou Snake Manor, and Eric pledged to serve him.
• The Governor’s Office meeting discussed and approved building a trading market in Xiangshui River Cave.
• Baron Roman agreed to the market but urged Russell to prioritize stability and his training.
• Russell wrote to Lord Ertlas, Lord Sally, and Rosen Fluorite Mushroom to inform them of his plan.

Russell appointed Horace to manage the new cave trade market, then spent the day fishing before learning that a Fluorite Mushroom Bug had been restless all afternoon. He ordered Jack to inspect the Worm Grass of the first Fluorite Mushroom.

• Russell offered Horace a choice between managing the cave trade market and administering Windmill Mill, and Horace chose the cave market.
• Russell left preparations for the cave trade market to Charles and the others and went fishing along the Glimmering River.
• Russell returned with a fish basket, and Leona and Fox discussed his claim that he had caught rabbits and a pheasant while fishing.
• Butler Morris reported that a Fluorite Mushroom Bug had crawled restlessly throughout the afternoon.
• Russell soothed the Mushroom Bug and told Morris to have Jack check the Worm Grass of the first Fluorite Mushroom.

Russell investigated why his first Fluorite Mushroom Bug had become restless and concluded that it might be trying to evolve. In the Dark Dreamscape, he saw that its will was weak, but asked Little Dream Dragon to give it a breath of dragonflame.

• Russell ruled out threats to the Fluorite Mushroom Bug and learned from Jack that both bugs’ Worm Grass was safe.
• Jack fed the Red-eyed Rat King magical beast jerky, leaving Kevin disappointed that he had brought none for him.
• Russell reassured Morris that the bug’s evolution was uncertain and told him not to worry over what he could not control.
• In the Dark Dreamscape, Russell saw the bug’s flickering green light struggling to emerge from its white glow and judged its chances of evolving to be low.
• Russell asked Little Dream Dragon to give the Fluorite Mushroom Bug a breath of dragonflame.

Russell used Little Dream Dragon’s dragonfire and a Hail Bead bargain to help the Fluorite Mushroom Bug evolve, but the creature remained suspended between success and failure for three days. He decided to seek the baron and his wife’s advice and hoped Little Dream Dragon would breathe dragonfire into it again the next night.

• Little Dream Dragon refused to breathe dragonfire until Russell promised it a superior Hail Bead and two more after the next trade-route trip.
• Little Dream Dragon breathed faint dragonfire into the Fluorite Mushroom Bug, whose green light surged, then vanished with the Dark Dreamscape.
• Russell found the Mushroom Bug still unevolved and motionless the next morning, with its magical aura chaotic.
• Russell and Butler Morris watched the Mushroom Bug remain unchanged for three days while Russell worried about whether it would succeed or fail.
• Charles suggested taking the Mushroom Bug to Fluorite Castle, and Russell decided to seek the baron and his wife’s advice while planning to ask Little Dream Dragon for another breath of dragonfire.

Russell sought help from his family because the Fluorite Mushroom Bug remained trapped in its evolution despite still clinging to life. As he waited to hear what his parents would advise, Roland warned him that the bug was unlikely to succeed.

• Russell noted that the Fluorite Mushroom Bug had not moved since beginning its evolution, and hoped Little Dream Dragon's return that night would provide enough dragon flame to help it break through.
• Butler Morris prayed for the bug and led the manor's servants in prayers to the Shadowflame Dragon.
• Russell rode to Fluorite Castle with the Red-eyed Rat King and told Old Butler Carter that his Spirit Worm's evolution had stalled.
• Russell showed the Jade Box to Roland and explained that the Fluorite Mushroom Bug had endured for four days without failing.
• Roland acknowledged the bug's strong will but told Russell that family history showed almost all Spirit Worms failed to evolve, and urged him to prepare for its loss.

Russell pretended to despair over the Fluorite Mushroom Bug’s failing evolution while arranging to prove its eventual success in front of his family. He fell asleep hoping to contact Little Dream Dragon and help the bug evolve, and the chapter ended as the dragon sensed that trouble was coming.

• Baron Roman and Madam Meryl examined the Fluorite Mushroom Bug, and Baron Roman said it seemed too weak to evolve.
• Russell asked whether Lord Ross could help, but Baron Roman and Roland refused to spend the dragon’s Origin Power on the attempt.
• Russell stayed at Fluorite Castle to watch over the bug, while Laura offered to pray for it.
• Russell searched Baron Roman’s study for books, then went to bed hoping to reach Little Dream Dragon before the bug died.
• Little Dream Dragon arrived in the Dark Dreamscape, and Russell greeted it as Snow Cone.
• Little Dream Dragon felt a sudden palpitation and sensed that something bad was about to happen.

Russell's Fluorite Mushroom Bug evolved into a little spirit, a Mushroom Bird, after Little Dream Dragon helped it in the Dark Dreamscape. The family celebrated the birth of the Fluorite Mushroom Family's second Mushroom Bird, and Russell named her Rosie.

• Little Dream Dragon breathed dragon flame on the evolving Fluorite Mushroom Bug, and its green light overwhelmed the white light before Russell lost consciousness.
• Old Butler Carter woke Russell in the night and told him the Fluorite Mushroom Bug had successfully evolved into a Mushroom Bird.
• Russell hurried to the spirit room, where his newborn Mushroom Bird landed on his shoulder and showed him affection.
• Madam Meryl and Baron Roman celebrated the evolution, while Russell credited the dragon with watching over him.
• Roland congratulated Russell and proposed a celebration banquet, which Baron Roman limited to Guangguang River Valley.
• Russell named his new Mushroom Bird Rosie.

After Mushroom Bird Rosie’s birth confirmed Russell’s apparent favor with a dragon, Baron Roman began imagining that Russell might one day ride a dragon if he married Princess Kunlaya. The family held a celebration banquet at Fluorite Castle, where Russell welcomed the gathered guests and Old Madam Ingrid praised his looks and good fortune.

• The family left the sprite room to rest, while Old Butler Carter planned a banquet to celebrate Mushroom Bird Rosie’s birth.
• Russell congratulated himself on carrying out his plan to prove his greatness and show that a dragon favored him.
• Baron Roman suggested that Russell might marry Princess Kunlaya and become a candidate to ride a dragon, while Madam Meryl doubted Princess Anxia would allow the match.
• The servants prepared a celebration at Fluorite Castle, and knights delivered banquet invitations to the valley’s lords and Russell’s teachers.
• Russell and Roland welcomed Lord Marcus and his family, and Russell explained that he and Malena had simply lacked a spark.
• Old Madam Ingrid arrived with Uncle Rosen’s family, inspected Russell, and praised his good luck and handsome appearance.

At the Fluorite Castle banquet, Russell and his brother Roland were praised as the family’s twin stars after Russell’s Mushroom Bird Rosie evolved. The gathering ended with Russell presenting Rosie to the guests, while he imagined a dragon taking flight in her eyes.

• Rosen toasted Russell and predicted that Rosie’s Magic Potions could help him and his descendants earn noble titles.
• Roland said he hoped Lord Ross would recognize him or Russell, while Russell joked about winning the Shadowflame Dragon’s favor.
• Old Madam Ingrid and the other noblewomen discussed Russell’s Reading Glasses and her effort to secure him a Scholar title.
• After the luncheon, Russell brought Rosie to meet the children and other guests, who admired her and envied Russell.
• Russell looked into Rosie’s eyes and saw the reflection of a dragon spreading its wings.

After Rosie’s birth, Russell returned to Wuyou Snake Manor and planned a long-term, paid tree-planting campaign to expand the birch forest across fifteen hundred mu. He rewarded the manor servants and let Rosie reunite with the Spirit Worms, leaving Morris to arrange a small door so Rosie could come and go freely.

• On the way home, Russell told Charles to buy saplings and pay the people to plant trees, with rewards tied to the trees’ survival rate and officials supervising the work.
• At Wuyou Snake Manor, Russell gave the servants money to celebrate Rosie’s birth, including twenty copper coins for each servant.
• Rosie flew around the manor annex and reunited with the six Spirit Worms in the Spirit Room.
• Russell asked Butler Morris to have a small door made in the Spirit Room door so Rosie could freely enter and leave.