Chapter 27: The Imagination of the Little Demon Horse

On the Dragonmire Continent, the snow demons bring the cold, while the dragons bring the warmth.

Once the Dusklight River flows past Black Waist Snake Manor, it exits the Dusklight River Valley territory, and the power of the Clay Dragon Ross contracts sharply, no longer able to shelter the land with warmth.

As a result, a vast expanse of ice and snow lies beyond the realm.

Only at the border between the Territory and the Snow Plains, where the faintest remnants of Clay Dragon Ross’s power remain, can some of the underground ecosystem still be maintained beneath the ice sheets and dark rivers. Some criminals and free men hide here.

They survive by feeding on underground creatures such as snakes, mice, ants, moss, and fungi.

In this way, they have established an underground habitat.

The noble lords turn a blind eye to the activities of the free people on the fringes of the territory, mainly to maintain a buffer zone between the territory and the snow plains.

Of course, when the snow demons invade, the first group to be threatened is the underground free folk.

This is the natural defense.

“Resounding Water River Cave is indeed our first line of defense, but Charles, Eric, if this defense is not fully under our control, then it becomes a double-edged sword. It can defend against the Snow Demons, but it can also harm us,” Russell said with clarity.

Perhaps the Resounding Water River Cave was a valuable defense to his father, Baron Roman. And Black Waist Snake Manor could also be considered a defense. So the slight threat posed by Resounding Water River Cave wouldn’t shake the territory – in his view, it wasn’t a double-edged sword.

Unfortunately, now that Black Waist Snake Manor was under his rule, the double-edged sword nature of Resounding Water River Cave had become a cause for concern.

Charles was speechless for a moment.

Eric nodded seriously. “The master is right. We cannot ignore Resounding Water River Cave any longer. It must be dealt with immediately!”

Russell smiled. “Exactly.”

Charles thought for a moment and said, “Actually, we could still negotiate with Lisbon, the Lone Wolf, and establish a cooperative relationship. It’s like adopting a vicious dog – occasionally tossing it a bone and letting it guard the border for us. What do you think?”

“Even if we adopt this vicious dog, we need to tame it first. Otherwise, the dog will still bite its master.”

“Alright, I admit it, Russell. You see things more clearly than I do.” Charles shrugged. “You were born to be a lord.”

Knock, knock, knock. The butler, Morris, knocked and entered with a tray.

“I woke Mrs. Moore up and asked her to prepare milk tea for you, my lord, and the two gentlemen,” Morris said, placing three cups of milk tea on the table.

“Oh my, to have a fragrant cup of milk tea on such a cold night, this is pure bliss,” Charles said, savoring the warmth of the drink.

Eric didn’t speak, but allowed a fleeting smile to pass over his face.

Russell smiled as well. “It’s late and you’re still bothering Mrs. Moore. Morris, please thank her on my behalf, and also tell her that I’ll be treating her and you, Morris, to an extra portion of pudding tomorrow.”

Morris chuckled. “Serving the master is our natural duty. You are too generous, my lord.”

Charles took a sip of milk tea, then teased, “If only we could exchange this milk tea for black pearl wine. That would make it perfect”.

“Don’t drink alcohol for now, Charles,” Eric said firmly.

“Of course, of course. I understand that much,” Charles replied, raising his voice slightly in a mock protest.

…

The rain stopped at dawn.

The territory’s patrolling Knight Commander, Kendall, did not return with Tom and John. Instead, it was the castle’s guard, Knight Commander Chris, who arrived.

“The Baron takes this matter very seriously and has sent me to support Master Russell,” Chris said, riding in alone on his Nightmare Ghost Horse without any additional knights. For an invasion by mere snow demons, a single Fantasy Beast Knight was more than enough to suppress it.

“I thought it would be Sir Kendall,” said Charles, accompanying Russell to greet the new arrival. Charles was more adept at these formalities than Russell.

“If Kendall had come, the Lone Wolf Lisbon probably wouldn’t dare provoke a snow demon invasion,” Chris explained. “The underground caves are all connected. Lisbon would undoubtedly need to confirm Kendall’s location before making his move.”

The caves surrounding the Dusklight River Valley weren’t just limited to the Resounding Water River Cave. Around this warm valley, there were other underground habitats such as Red Bat Cave, Savage Cave, Blind Man’s Hollow, and Cracked Mouth Cavern.

“I see,” Russell nodded, enlightened.

As the patrolling Knight Commander of the area, Kendall was naturally a figure feared by the wanderers of the nearby caves.

Without knowing Kendall’s whereabouts, the lone wolf Lisbon wouldn’t act rashly.

Chris, the Knight Commander of the Castle Guard, on the other hand, rarely appeared in the area and wouldn’t attract much attention.

“Then I’ll have to bother you for the next few days, Sir Chris,” Russell said.

“It’s my honor. Besides, staying at the manor’s guesthouse will make me more comfortable. In the meantime, I can also give you some training tips,” Chris replied.

“That would be perfect!”

Nothing unusual happened on Chris’s first day at the manor. Russell treated it as an opportunity to have a new knightly mentor and asked many questions about Martial Arts Energy.

For armored knights, cultivation started with carving out their meridians and strengthening their Martial Arts Energy while also practicing techniques to channel and control it.

This training was generally divided into four aspects: Martial Energy Penetration, Rotation, Instant Burst, and Blade Aura.

“There is no shortcut to Martial Arts Energy Penetration, Master Russell,” Chris explained. “The methods Eric taught you, using Martial Arts Energy techniques to carve out meridians, are already the best way to train this. All you need is persistence and you will naturally master penetration.”

“Understood.”

“As for Rotation and Instant Burst, it’s not yet time to attempt them. For such techniques you need to first carve out multiple meridians and link them together. When you master the combination of all three, you’ll break through to the Blade Aura stage and project martial energy outward.”

“Thank you for your instruction, sir.”

“These are just the basics. Even if I didn’t tell you, you’d figure it out eventually,” Chris said with a respectful smile, his deference clearly aimed at Russell’s father, Baron Roman, rather than Russell himself.

As night fell, Chris’ arrival was not publicly announced, so they had a simple dinner in the second floor dining room.

After a few rounds of wine, the crowd dispersed.

Russell bathed and retired to bed. Some time later, in a drowsy haze, the Dark Dreamscape reappeared. The little dream dragon flew over, squawking as it flapped its wings.

“Come on, Snowcone. Let’s patrol properly tonight and see if any assassins dare to approach.”

“Squawk!”

Human and dragon flew around the manor’s guesthouse. Two spots of magical light stood out brightly, undoubtedly emanating from Chris and his Nightmare Ghost Horse.

“So this is a Fantasy Beast Knight…incredibly bright!”

Russell marveled at the glow. The light outlined Chris’s form so clearly that even his facial features were faintly discernible. Of course, it was still less distinct than his father, Baron Roman, who appeared far more vividly in the dark dreamscape.

In the Dusklight River Valley, Lord Ross was the undisputed mightiest warrior, followed closely by Baron Roman, a high-ranking Fantasy Beast Knight.

“Let’s take a look at the Nightmare Ghost Horse,” Russell said after admiring Chris’ aura.

Fantasy Beasts were extraordinary creatures that either evolved from ordinary beasts after absorbing enough Earth Force, or were born as Fantasy Beasts through latent power accumulation.

Fantasy Beasts could also produce offspring naturally, especially when two Fantasy Beasts mated, creating second-generation Fantasy Beasts with superior abilities.

“Father has a female Nightmare Ghost Horse, and Chris’s is male. I wonder if they can mate and produce a foal. If so, maybe Mother could persuade Father to give me the foal…”

As the thought took shape, Russell chuckled and shook his head. “Not likely. Even if they did have a foal, my eldest brother Roland would claim it first. No use dreaming too much.”