Chapter 17: The Night by the River

After dinner, Russell decided to personally stand guard at Magic Herb Village to make sure the three Wormgrass plants would get through their first night safely.

“Russell, as the Lord, you’re too diligent, but in fact there’s no need to be so anxious,” Charles said, showing his confusion. “With Tom and the other armored knights standing guard, and Eric also keeping watch, there won’t be any problems.”

Russell smiled. “I understand, Teacher Charles, but I’ve already made my decision.”

Seeing Russell’s determination, Charles could only spread his hands in resignation. “Of course, you are the lord, and everything will be as you wish.”

“Teacher Charles, you stay at the manor and don’t follow me.”

“Is that all right?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. You are the civil administrator of the area.” Russell didn’t ask Charles to accompany him on the night watch. Civil and military roles were distinct, and Charles’s role was to help govern the territory, so he didn’t need to stay up all night.

Besides, Russell wasn’t really there just to stand guard; he had other plans.

Charles bowed in gratitude. “Russell, I truly see the shadow of the Baron in you. You have fully inherited the fine qualities of the Fluorescent Mushroom family… May the Dragon watch over you, you will surely be an excellent lord in the future!”

“May the Dragon watch over me, I will strive to be an excellent lord.” Russell knew how to play the role, after all, a smooth carriage is carried by all.

Whether the Shadow Flame Dragon of the Grand Duke’s family could watch over him wasn’t important.

“Eric, protect Russell well, be alert at night.” Charles gave Eric a few more instructions, showing his concern for Russell.

Eric wanted to roll his eyes, but ultimately just grunted in response. “Of course.”

Tents, campfires, sleeping bags.

Next to the thickest birch tree in the birch forest, Russell chose to camp for the night, with Armored Knight Jack crouched nearby.

He was only there to sleep; those who would stand guard all night were Eric and the four Armored Knights.

“Jack, if anything unusual happens, remember to wake me.”

“Aye!”

Yawning and turning over, Russell lay down comfortably in his sleeping bag, beginning his night watch in the birch forest.

In a daze, his consciousness once again arrived in a desolate and dark environment.

Without a doubt, he had entered a new Dark Dreamscape, one without the Line Castle or the Line Manor.

This Dark Dreamscape was located in a forest outlined by lines.

Before Little Dream Dragon appeared, Russell saw the Dark Dreamscape as completely silent and pitch black, with no light at all.

“Quack!”

Little Dream Dragon arrived as expected.

Once Russell mounted Little Dream Dragon, it was as if he had turned on the switch for the Dark Dreamscape. Suddenly, three sources of light appeared in the line-drawn forest.

Russell easily identified them: “The one on the tree is the Fluorescent Mushroom Wormgrass; this one pacing is Jack; and this light should be my sword, the Green Ceramic Sword, especially this green gem, it’s really bright.”

The Green Ceramic Sword was a gift from the Baron for Russell’s birthday two years ago.

The main body was made from clay, which was nurtured by a clay dragon, then fired and forged into a ceramic sword. A master swordsmith had also added a groove and embedded a green gem that had the effect of attracting martial arts energy, hence the name Green Ceramic Sword.

The name wasn’t very elegant, but its value was considerable, with just the green gem itself being quite expensive.

“It’s really strange, I can clearly see the magical light emanating from my sword, but I can’t see the magical light emanating from my own body… Could it be that I’m not in the sleeping bag, but my true self has entered this dark dreamscape?”

Russell couldn’t understand.

He remembered that when he was living at Fluorescent Castle, on the day he first crossed over, his body wasn’t feeling well, so he went to sleep early and rode Little Dream Dragon around aimlessly.

Then he saw his mother, Meryl, who had quietly entered his room and sat by his bed for a while.

If his true self had entered the Dark Dreamscape, Meryl would have noticed something unusual, but clearly she saw him sleeping.

This meant that he was really just dreaming, not that his true self had entered the Dark Dreamscape. Looking down at his cartoonish self, Russell gave up on finding an answer and decided to explore slowly, knowing he would eventually find it.

“There’s so little light.”

Aside from the three sources of light, Russell saw only darkness in the forest.

Eric and the others were probably outside the range of the Dark Dreamscape, so he couldn’t see the magical light they emitted.

“Take off, little dream dragon!”

“Quack!”

With his tent as its center, the Dark Dreamscape encompassed part of the birch forest and the Dusklight River. A man and a dragon flew through the forest, slowly searching for any unusual light, especially dim light.

Unfortunately, they found nothing.

So Russell rode Little Dream Dragon to the river, hoping to get lucky and find a second pearl-bearing river clam.

Unfortunately, he found nothing there either.

“Nothing, Snowcone.” Russell patted Little Dream Dragon’s big head and decided to call Little Dream Dragon “Snowcone” from now on.

He remembered that before he crossed over, he was eating a Magnum ice cream when he was run over by a construction truck.

Fate worked in mysterious ways; the heavens had given him Little Dream Dragon as a golden finger, perhaps to make up for the injustice done to him.

After all, his mortgage was almost paid off on Earth, and he was about to live a good life.

“Quack?” Little Dream Dragon turned its head 180 degrees, showing its confusion at the name “Snowcone”. 

“Quack quack?”

“Quack what quack?” Russell yawned, not sure why he could still yawn and feel sleepy in a dream.

“Quack!”

“Let’s go back, you little fool.”

“Quack quack!”

A man and a dragon flew back to the tent, and Russell prepared to wait for Little Dream Dragon to get tired and automatically end the Dark Dreamscape.

But then Little Dream Dragon started circling around the thickest birch tree, making constant quacking noises as if trying to communicate something.

“Idiot, that’s the Fluorescent Mushroom Wormgrass I planted.”

“Quack quack!”

Little Dream Dragon continued to circle the birch tree, unable to understand what Russell was saying. His foolish behavior made Russell want to slap him.

But as Little Dream Dragon circled the tree again and again, Russell gradually realized that he might have misunderstood Little Dream Dragon’s intention.

Little Dream Dragon wasn’t focused on the Fluorescent Mushroom Wormgrass, but on the birch tree itself.

“Stop, stop, stop circling.” Russell grabbed Little Dream Dragon’s horns and finally managed to stop him.

Approaching the birch tree, he examined it carefully from the roots up.

Then, about ten feet off the ground on the trunk, Russell saw a faint, almost imperceptible light. He had been so focused on the fluorescent mushroom wormgrass that he hadn’t even considered the possibility that the birch tree could emit light.

“The birch tree is glowing, as if it’s nurturing something… Could it be sprite grubs?” Russell felt a sudden surge of excitement.

Dragons, wyverns, elves, magic herbs – all their power came from the earth.

And now, the birch tree was naturally drawing on the earth’s power, nurturing a new and magical creature—sprite grubs.