Evil dragon has a warm heart-Chapter 113 - 112 Anxious Mushroom Bug

Chapter 113: Chapter 112: Anxious Mushroom Bug

Chapter 113 -112: Anxious Mushroom Bug

The Caverns were not holes in the ground, but rather holes beneath the ice cap.

Between the warm lands and the snowfields, there was an extensive warm buffer zone, where the ice cap on the verge of melting left numerous caverns and tunnels.

Plants, microorganisms, and small animals all struggled to survive in such conditions.

Similarly,

there was a group of humans who also lived in these harsh conditions in order to escape the oppression of serfs by the nobles from the warm lands.

After all, even though the environment of the Caverns was poor, at least it was possible to scrape by with enough to eat and keep warm.

In fact, Russell thought the Caverns were quite alright. In his previous life, he had scrolled through TikTok and watched the documentary about the Eskimos, “Nanook of the North,” and those average-earthlings could still survive in the Arctic at dozens of degrees below zero.

Even babies could crawl around naked in ice huts at minus ten degrees, showing the tenacity of life.

Compared to that, the environment of the Caverns was much better.

The growth of moss and mushrooms was everywhere, and occasionally, protein sources like snakes, rats, insects, and ants could be caught. With some diligence, getting by with enough to eat was definitely not a problem.

Furthermore, the Dragon Sleep Continent possessed transcendent power, and many people were able to cultivate Qi Seeds to enhance their physical qualities. Even humans who hadn’t cultivated Qi Seeds generally didn’t have poor physical conditions – those who had would not have been able to reproduce until now.

Long ago, in the ancient times when the Snow Demon invaded and the land was encased in ice, humans with poor constitutions had almost all kicked the bucket.

Those who remained and were able to reproduce until the present day were humans with excellent physical qualities.

“Halls, you were the one who proposed the Cavern trade market, so I’m giving you a choice,” Russell said to Halls after deciding to establish a trade market in the Caverns, “If you stay in Grotto Village, you will be in charge of the trade market.”

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

Pausing for a moment, Russell continued, “If you insist on switching to Market Hamlet, then I will arrange a new job for you. Hmm, how about settling in Alfalfa Hamlet? Windmill Mill is in need of a manager, and I can give that to you.”

Halls fell into contemplation.

He was one of the few Rangers in Echo Water River Cavern. After the fall of Lone Wolf Lisbon, he decisively pledged allegiance to Russell.

As an activist second only to Katie and Catherine, he was appointed by Russell as the defense attorney of the manor court.

He had thought that with the appreciation of the Lord, he would win the support of the citizens of Grotto Village and be elected as the hamlet chief, but instead, he lost in the elections to Ranger Druk. This hurt his pride, and at the same time, he could not swallow his pride.

That was why he decided to leave Grotto Village and to move to Market Hamlet, to live under the sunlight and sever his ties with the Cavern’s past completely.

But now.

Russell had laid two paths before him, which made him waver.

The manager of Windmill Mill was definitely a quality position since milling was an indispensable part of the manor’s daily expenses, and taking on that role was like securing a stable job.

Before this, he would have chosen the manager of Windmill Mill without hesitation, but now he was presented with the option of the Cavern trade market. It involved not only overseeing the trade of the Caverns around Glowing Valley but also trading with freemen from other regions.

It was plainly visible that the Cavern trade market’s potential for development and job prospects far exceeded those of Windmill Mill, and performing well could also lead to greater appreciation from Russell.

Being able to become a Ranger in the Caverns, it was clear Halls wasn’t lacking in audacity.

After a slight deliberation, he nodded emphatically, “Sir, I am willing to stay in Grotto Village and take up the position of manager of the Cavern trade market.”

“Good, that settles it,” Russell said with a slight smile.

The reason for employing Halls was not that he was familiar with the Cavern’s environment; rather, it was because he didn’t get along with Druk, the hamlet chief of Grotto Village.

Out of an instinct inherent to someone in a position of power, he didn’t want Grotto Village to be completely united.

With Halls staying, he would form his own faction; the Wildcat Sisters Katie and Catherine had their faction; and Ranger Druk had another faction. These three insignificant factions would be enough to splinter Grotto Village into pieces.

The more factions there were, the less cohesive they would be, and the citizens of Grotto Village could only devote their loyalty to him, their Lord.

Of course, this was not a calculated move on Russell’s part but rather one made by taking advantage of the situation.

These few hundred people of Echo Water River Cavern, even when Lone Wolf Lisbon was alive, Russell could easily manipulate them, let alone now that Lone Wolf Lisbon was dead.

…

A leader speaks, and subordinates run themselves ragged.

After Russell gave the order to establish the Echo Water River Cavern trade market, he stopped paying attention and played the role of a hands-off manager.

There were people like Charles busying themselves with the preparations.

After all, Russell paid them real money, so with money in their pockets, they had to work diligently for the lord.

Meanwhile, he took a fishing rod and went back to the banks of the Glowing River to find a spot that looked promising for angling.

As the sun was about to dip behind the hills, he returned to the manor’s annex leisurely carrying a basket of fish.

“Sir, how did the fishing go today?” Head Maid Leona, who was cleaning the living room, greeted Russell with a smile upon seeing him.

Russell shook the fish basket in his hand: “Not bad, two rabbits and a pheasant.”

He then sighed with a sense of wonderment, “The wildlife on both sides of the Glowing River is quite abundant, it seems that I can go fishing there often in the future.”

Having said that, he handed the fish basket to the approaching servant Fox and went upstairs himself.

Once Russell had disappeared around the corner of the staircase, Leona couldn’t help but make a snide remark: “Fox, can you really catch rabbits and pheasants when you’re fishing?”

“I don’t know.” Fox was a straightforward and honest servant, replying earnestly, “But if it is the Sir, then there’s no problem. Under the Great Dragon’s gaze, Sir always seems to be all-powerful, nothing is strange.”

“Are you serious?” asked Leona.

“Yes.”

“Well, you win, Fox,” Leona shook her head with a smile, losing the interest to continue their conversation.

In her opinion, the most pleasing to listen to in the entire annex was undoubtedly the handsome and dashing lord.

The next best speaker might be the lord’s personal servant Ram, who had picked up a bit of the lord’s charm from constantly being by his side. But it was only a bit. Compared to the lord’s natural flair for chatter, Ram was just parroting.

“What a pity, the lord is like the moon in the sky… while I am but a tiny grain of sand by the river, and all a grain of sand can touch is the moon’s reflection.”

There was a full-length mirror in the living room. Leona walked over to it and glanced at her reflection.

An attractive face, a statuesque figure, and her round and perky behind that she didn’t like to mention, but always took pride in.

“If only I had been born into a noble family…”

She didn’t wallow in self-pity in front of the mirror for long, as she forcefully cut off her own thoughts. A maid should not have such ideas.

She quickly stepped away from the range of the mirror, fearing being discovered by Butler Morris if she lingered.

If that happened, she would inevitably get a few stern words from Butler Morris.

However, Leona’s concern was somewhat unnecessary. At that moment, Butler Morris was in the second-floor sprite room, seriously reporting to Russell about the condition of the spirit insects.

“Sir, this is the situation. After you went fishing, I came to check on the spirit insects and noticed that this Youguangxun Mushroom Bug was restless, crawling back and forth without stopping… It’s been crawling all afternoon,” Morris reported.

Russell stretched out his finger to soothe the restless spirit insect, sensing its anxiety through the vague empathetic connection of the contract.

Normal spirit insects, although they crawl around, spend most of their time lazily lying down.

They get their nutrition from the cordyceps drawing from the earth.

They don’t need to eat; nibbling on fairy dust is more for a bit of taste pleasure, and to maintain their vitality only during the transfer periods of the cordyceps.

“Don’t worry, little guy, everything is going to be alright,” consoled Russell as he calmed the mushroom bug, then instructed Butler Morris, “Send someone to notify my follower Jack to check on the first Youguangxun’s cordyceps for any anomalies.”

“I will arrange it right away, Sir,” Morris hurried downstairs.