Chapter 11: Mana Pearls

Early in the morning, sunlight shone through the gap in the curtains onto the bed, forming a bright streak.

Russell stretched and woke up from his slumber, opening his eyes without fatigue or discomfort, only feeling refreshed and full of energy.

Perhaps it was the vigor of youth, or the deep sleep that granted this feeling, or perhaps the martial arts energy that was constantly improving his physique. In any case, he was quite satisfied with his current body.

Full of health!

He pulled the rope bell by the bed, which led to the servants’ quarters, where another bell rang with the inscription “Master’s Bedroom”.

Servants couldn’t be at their master’s side all the time.

Hence,

The rope bell was an indispensable device.

“Ah, what a great sleep. Even though I spend every night in the Dark Dreamscape, it hasn’t affected my sleep; instead, I feel more comfortable than ever”. Russell felt joy in his heart. The next moment, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, “Calml!”

Last night, he discovered a calm in the Dark Dreamscape that seemed to be nurturing mana pearls, but he couldn’t leave the Dark Dreamscape.

When Little Dream Dragon got tired and the Dark Dreamscape dissipated, he would fall into a deep sleep and couldn’t wake up.

“Luckily, I didn’t forget about Clam… I wonder if it has escaped after a night.”

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door, followed by the voice of the head maid: “Good morning, master.”

“Good morning, come in,” Russell had already gotten out of bed.

The door opened, and Head Maid Leona entered with three maids, Eileen, Phoebe, and Olivia, each performing their duties as they would in Fluorescent Castle.

They were making the bed, clearing the table, and preparing the toiletries.

However, it was evident that these young maids were slightly less skilled than those in Fluorescent Castle.

And the quality of the maids themselves was slightly inferior. Eileen had freckles, Phoebe had a slight overbite, and Olivia was short and stocky. Only head maid Leona was tall and had a pretty face. Russell remembered her round behind when she bent over.

After Russell finished washing up, Leona led the maids out one by one.

The male servant, Lam, knocked and entered: “Master.”

“Mhm,” Russell didn’t refuse the male servant’s help in dressing. These noble customs were deeply ingrained in this body.

“Master, do you need to practice martial energy this morning? If so, you can wear this training outfit,” Lam asked tentatively as he was serving Russell for the first time and wasn’t familiar with his routines.

Russell calmly instructed, “Training outfit.”

He didn’t show his amiable side; familiarity breeds contempt. Balancing that was an art.

Dressed in the training outfit, he went downstairs for breakfast.

“Master!” Knight Instructor Eric and four Armored Knights were eating breakfast.

Russell sat down at the table: “Good morning.”

“Master, your breakfast,” Morris, the butler, brought the breakfast personally. Compared to the buffet breakfast at Fluorescent Castle, the meal here was more modest, consisting of fish and egg rice, bread, milk, and a small bowl of jam.

Halfway through his meal, Charles yawned and came downstairs: “Good morning, Russell. It seems that discipline has become your instinct.”

Russell replied casually, “Good morning.”

After breakfast,

Morris, the butler, came to report: “Master, Old Hans the foreman and five village chiefs have come to receive your instructions.”

“I was just about to find him,” said Russell, his heart stirring.

As they left the manor, the bright sunlight dispelled the chill of the previous night.

Old Hans and the five village chiefs immediately greeted Russell and followed him to the Dusklight River below the hillside.

“Old Hans, are there any shells in the Dusklight River?”

“Yes, Master. The Dusklight River has not only clams, but also large river snails. Sometimes the baron would send someone to collect a batch of freshwater delicacies, and the serfs could also take the opportunity to catch some clams and river snails to enjoy the taste of freshwater delicacies.”

Everything in the territory belonged to the lord, so even the fish and shrimp in the river were the lord’s private property. The serfs couldn’t fish in the river without the lord’s permission.

“I see… Old Hans, I feel like eating some freshwater delicacies today. Can you help me catch some clams and river snails?” Russell said.

If he were to catch the clams himself, it wouldn’t be in line with noble behavior, and the act itself would be quite abrupt.

Old Hans didn’t hesitate to roll up his pants: “It’s an honor to serve you, master.”

The five village chiefs, not wanting to be left behind, rolled up their trousers and followed Old Hans into the cold waters of the Dusklight River.

The Ice Age had receded late, and the water level of the Dusklight River was still shallow at the riverbank, barely covering their ankles.

In no time, they had caught a large pile of shells and river snails – their skill was obvious, as they had obviously sneaked into the river many times to catch fish and shrimp.

“Wow, what’s going on here?” Charles also finished his breakfast and came over curiously, “Are you catching clams?”

Russell said: “I felt like eating some freshwater delicacies tonight.”

“Hehe, freshwater delicacies, that’s a treat. The freshwater delicacies of Dusklight River are a local delicacy. They are usually only delivered to Fluorescent Castle and are rarely seen.” Charles not only loved wine, he also had a taste for good food.

On the slope, Eric and the four armored knights were diligently practicing martial energy and didn’t come over to join the fun.

Suddenly,

Old Hans held up a black river clam the size of a basketball and shouted excitedly: “Master, praise the dragon, oh my, look at this clam, I’ve never caught such a big one before.”

As he said this, Old Hans ran over happily holding the clam in his arms to present his treasure.

Russell’s eyes lit up; he strongly suspected that the mana light he saw last night came from this clam, which must contain mana pearls.

Before he could open his mouth to remind them, Charles shouted,: “Russell, hurry, open it. There must be mana pearls inside such a large shell! Legend has it that some large shells can nurture mana pearls like gem dragons!”

Gem dragons could nourish gem veins, and they were wondrous creations of the earth.

Mana pearls couldn’t be compared to gems, but they were still rare magical creations with wondrous effects.

“Can you pry it open, Old Hans?”

“I don’t have a knife, master.”

At that moment, a steel longsword was handed over. Eric had come over and offered his sword.

But Old Hans tried for a while and couldn’t open the big shell.

“Let me!” Eric couldn’t stand it and squatted down, infusing martial arts energy into the steel sword and stabbing it into the gap of the tightly closed shell. The shell couldn’t withstand the force and was pierced by the tip of the sword.

A crack.

With a forceful push, Eric opened the shell, revealing the golden-glowing clam meat inside.

He discarded the steel sword and used his hands directly to pry open the shell, exposing the membrane underneath, which had five irregular round protrusions, the largest the size of an egg and the smallest the size of a marble.

“Wow, pearls, there are real pearls!” Charles said excitedly, “This time I really have to praise the dragon, Russell, there are really magic pearls in it!”

There were no ordinary pearls in this world; all the pearls contained mana.

Just as the dragon-cultivated gems all had magical properties, once the mana was exhausted, the gems would shatter.

Pearls were no different.

“Well done!” Russell lightly clapped his hands, although he had already guessed last night, he was still excited to actually catch the pearls.

After all, this was the first benefit he had gained from using his own golden finger.

He immediately instructed, “Morris, have the kitchen prepare some milk tea for Old Hans and the others to warm up.”