Evil dragon has a warm heart

Chapter 59 - 59 59 Dignity

?Chapter 59: Chapter 59 Dignity Chapter 59: Chapter 59 Dignity At noon, stepping right on time, Charles arrived at the estate’s annex.

Now that he was there, Russell felt it would be impolite not to ask him to stay for lunch, so he had no choice but to instruct Butler Morris to add a place setting for Charles.

“Mr. Charles, you needn’t always come right on the dot; you should rest at home for a while. Coming over in the afternoon would be just as well,” Russell said.

“Heh heh,” laughed Charles, with a shamelessly relaxed air, “I just remembered there was something I needed to report, and it happened to coincide with this time. Who knew I would run into you, Sir, enjoying your lunch. This must be the call of the Black Pearl wine.”

Faced with Charles’s brazen shamelessness, what could Russell say? He could only express his helplessness and say, “Let’s eat first.”

It was inevitable.

Charles was his family tutor and naturally counted among his close subordinates. Moreover, Charles was probably the only person in the estate who could serve as an administrative officer.

Because Charles was literate and could manage all kinds of tax documents.

Other estate foremen, like old Hans, might be clever and experienced, but without sufficient education, they could not write documents, and thus, naturally, could not serve as officers.

And for Phantom Beast Knights like Eric, while their fighting prowess was indeed formidable, their education level was not high, making it difficult for them to manage the estate.

Therefore, unless Russell managed everything himself, he had no choice but to rely on Charles.

Fortunately, while Charles’s character might be somewhat rascally, he was nonetheless quite capable. He helped Russell organize estate affairs in an orderly fashion, sparing him the trouble of managing miscellaneous matters and allowing him more time to cultivate.

A day without incidents.

That evening, Russell once again rode a dragon into the sky in Gloomy Dreamland, leisurely roaming around the estate’s annex.

His focus was on the black piglet being raised in the kennel.

Ever since the golden black sow gave birth, this black piglet had received Russell’s extra care. He had specially arranged for the personal servant Fox to look after it. The black piglet was allowed to nurse first, and only after it was full could the other golden black piglets eat.

“Very good, very good, you’ve kept it very well!” Russell soon noticed that the magical aura on the black piglet had not dissipated.

If it were a regular Fantasy Beast baby that failed to mature, its magic aura would typically dissipate, returning it to the essence of an ordinary beast.

But this black piglet showed no signs of reverting to ordinary.

Its magic aura had not further metamorphosed into a Fantasy Beast, but at least under Russell’s care, it had successfully been maintained.

“Gah?” The Little Dream Dragon was puzzled.

Just a mere little piglet; it did not understand Russell’s affection for this little piglet.

“You don’t understand, Ice Cream; this isn’t just any little piglet, this is a Blackwaist Serpent pig! Do you understand? A new breed of Primordial Beast for cultivation, which will be snapped up the moment it hits the market!” Russell joyously explained to the Little Dream Dragon.

No matter whether the Little Dream Dragon understood or not.

“If it was just any ordinary breeding Primordial Beast, I wouldn’t be this excited, but it’s a pig, you know? Of all the livestock and poultry, pigs have the greatest potential as a source of meat! Because pigs eat crudely and grow fast. They’re the best source of meat!”

Chickens, ducks, and geese are too small, while cattle and sheep grow too slowly; only large, fat pigs are the best source of meat.

At Fluorescent Castle, there are three breeds of cultivation Primordial Beasts being raised: short-fleece rabbits, long-legged ducks, and brown milk cows. Russell could assure that the value created by the Blackwaist Serpent pig would far exceed these three breeds of cultivation animals.

“Maybe when my Blackwaist Serpent pig goes to market, Baron Gold himself will come to buy the piglet breeds!”

The golden black pig is a specialty of Baron Gold’s territory, but now, the Blackwaist Serpent pig will become the specialty of Wuyao Snake Manor, countering Baron Gold’s market.

“Gah.” The Little Dream Dragon yawned.

Expressing its boredom.

Russell chuckled and, riding the Little Dream Dragon, flew away from the black piglet, continuing his countless patrols of the domain within Gloomy Dreamland.

If not for wanting to observe the black piglet’s condition, he reckoned he would have already found an excuse to camp outside the annex.

The next day arrived.

Early in the morning, a Knight arrived with a message: “Mr. Russell, Sir Cooper, Miss Rolin, and Miss Lola are planning to visit Wuyao Snake Manor today.”

“Okay, I know, please go back and convey that I have made all the necessary preparations to welcome our guests at Wuyao Snake Manor,” said Russell.

Russell was not surprised.

He immediately ordered Butler Morris to get everything ready for the reception.

“Is it Miss Rolin, Miss Lola, and Lord Cooper Thistlegrass, the heir of Blackgarden Mountain?” Morris asked in surprise.

“Yes.”

“Sir, what kind of standards should we use to entertain these guests?”

“Mm, receive them with the same standards as for my elder brother Roland, just a level below how we would welcome my parents,” Russell thought for a moment before saying.

He was a vassal of Baron Romand, and to him, Baron Romand was his “lord.”

Therefore, hosting Baron Romand and his wife would be at the highest level, along with Lady Ingrid. Next in hierarchy was his elder brother Roland, the Baron’s heir, and his Uncle Roson, who also enjoyed the same level of hospitality.

After that level were fellow vassals like Marcus, Sally, and Utreras—the three Lord Knights.

“I understand, Sir. I will go and prepare right away.” Morris’s expression turned serious; he knew that today’s reception was a test for him, a test to see if the manor’s servants were indeed an excellent team.

Russell might not be so demanding, but the pride in Morris’s heart did not allow for any slip-ups during this event.

Any mistake would be a disgrace to his master, Russell.

“Leona, lead the maids to clean the manor house from top to bottom again; don’t leave out any room. I need cleanliness without any blind spots, and the beddings and tablecloths must not have a single wrinkle,” Morris announced gravely in the servants’ dining hall.

Head Maid Leona responded, “Okay, Butler Morris.”

“Ram.”

“Here, Butler Morris.”

“You are the master’s personal servant. You will have to take care of receiving the guests when I am busy, especially the servants of the guests. You will need to coordinate with them.”

“Leave it to me. I’m already familiar with all of the manservant’s duties from my time at Fluorescent Castle,” Ram replied confidently.

“Do not be arrogant, learn to be humble.”

“Yes.”

“William,” Morris called the name of the second manservant.

William replied, “What are your orders, Butler Morris?”

“I need you to take some trouble. You’ll be responsible for the tea and meals upstairs and downstairs, and for any occasion that the maids cannot attend. Keep in constant communication with the kitchen; no snack is to be served incorrectly.”

“Um, are there only the two Misses and Lord Cooper coming? I think I won’t make any mistakes.”

“There must be no mistakes; losing the master’s dignity is a serious dereliction of our duty,” Morris emphasized and instructed, “Fox, the master has given you extra tasks, like looking after that piglet. I must also assign you a new task, to take good care of the guests’ horses.”

“Okay, I’m good at these, Butler Morris.”

“Lastly, the kitchen. Mrs. Moore, bring out all of your cooking skills; today’s noon meal must be the best it can be.”

“Oh heavens, watched by the Great Dragon, I need helpers!” Mrs. Moore started to panic.

Morris glared at her seriously, “Look at me, Mrs. Moore. You only need to bring out all your culinary skills, don’t worry about anything else. Barbara and Mrs. Brown are good assistants. They might not help in the kitchen, but they can take over the menial tasks.”

“Then should I make the fish soup as per the master’s orders, or should I make the previous recipe?”

“Don’t rush; I will go and ask the master,” Morris reassured Mrs. Moore.

He quickly returned to the living room to consult with Russell, who was reading a novel: “Master, today’s banquet fish soup, should we use the new recipe or stick to the old one?”

Russell squinted his eyes, “The new recipe. Let the revolution in dining begin today.”