Chapter 14 Ghostfire Family

The lunch was hearty, and afterwards, everyone moved to the living room to digest their meal and chat.

Russell briefly talked about his impressions of living on the ancestral land, but since he had only stayed there for a day, there wasn't much novelty to share.

Most of the time, it was Lady Ingrid and Meryl who were engaged in idle chatter.

Russell always felt there was a powder keg about to explode between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but both exercised restraint and avoided a direct confrontation.

Mr. Luo Man seemed utterly oblivious to this.

However, Russell thought that the Baron might be aware but just pretended not to know. After all, such timeless problems didn't need to be addressed or cause hardship for oneself until they led to destructive consequences; happiness should be the focus of life.

"Don't neglect your Battle Qi practice; your talent is mediocre at best, and if you don't train diligently, your achievements will be limited,"

"I understand, Father."

"I've had Carter prepare a batch of Magic Elixirs for you. Take one every day when you return, and don't refuse. This is also your grandmother's wish," the Baron said.

Lady Ingrid turned around and said, "Indeed, the family isn't short of money, and it's natural to reserve the Magic Elixirs for the little Ghostfire."

"Of course, I won't refuse," Russell said with a smile.

He wasn't coveting the Baron's wealth; after all, being the second son, he wasn't entitled to it, but since the Baron was willing to offer, he saw no reason to decline.

"Little Ghostfire has become sensible," Lady Ingrid said with a smile, "He used to be somewhat stubborn, but now he has become very endearing."

Meryl added with a smile, "Mother, Russell has grown up; he's no longer the little Ghostfire that you speak of."

"Why isn't he? In my heart, Russell and his brothers are all little Ghostfires."

"Little Ghostfire is, after all, a nickname given by outsiders."

"We are the Ghostfire Family, so what if others tease us a bit? It doesn't cost us a copper coin. If anyone disagrees, let Mr. Ross unleash Dragon Breath and I guarantee it will burn them to a crisp, leaving only ash," Lady Ingrid jested.

Meryl narrowed her eyes and said, "Other families might have dragons too."

The Shadowflame Duchy has two Earls and five Barons; each family owns one or more Bipedal Flying Dragons.

These magical creatures are a standard asset of the great nobility.

Without Bipedal Flying Dragons, one cannot sufficiently protect the safety of their territory.

"We're not afraid of having dragons; if someone insults our Ghostfire Family, we'll insult them back. Every family has a nickname, doesn't your Rainflower Family also get called little birds?" Lady Ingrid retorted, unwilling to be outdone.

Rainflowers are a type of blue flower that looks like a bird from afar, hence the Rainflower Family is also known as the Bluebird Family, sometimes teasingly referred to as little birds.

The same goes for Glowing Mushrooms: they can emit a green glow at night and prefer growing on tree trunks, appearing from a distance like a floating wisp of ghost fire.

Thus, the Fluorescent Fungi Family is also known as the Ghostfire Family. Naturally, the family's offspring get the nickname little Ghostfires.

Of course, there are even less flattering nicknames such as green ghosts and green ants.

The banter between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was tinged with argument, and their seemingly playful rivalry had no impact on Mr. Luo Man and Russell.

"Oh right," Russell said, "Speaking of Magic Elixirs, I almost forgot. I've brought a small gift for grandmother, mother, and Lola."

He called over the manservant Ram and took a small pouch from him.

Russell pulled out three pearls from the pouch, all freshly extracted from river clams that very morning, their creamy white surfaces shimmering with a soft luster, and a light discernment would allow one to feel the subtle Magic Power flowing unceasingly within.

He gave the egg-sized pearl to his grandmother, the slightly smaller one to his mother, and the one a bit smaller still to Lola.

"Wow, brother, what is this?" It was Lola's first time seeing a pearl.

"Pearls, gems nurtured within shells."

"This really is a rare treasure. Grandmother hasn't even given you a gift yet, and instead, she has received one from you," said Lady Ingrid, unable to resist the beautiful pearl and cherishing it, "Little Ghostfire, where did you find these?"

Baron Roman also expressed curiosity, "Pearls really are rare to see."

"They were picked up from the river this morning," Russell roughly explained. He wanted to eat seafood but ended up finding pearls, "I didn't expect there to be such an unusually large clam that actually bore five pearls of varying sizes."

There were still two small ones left in the bag.

"Brother, you're so lucky!" Lola said with envy.

Lady Ingrid laughed, "Our Ghostfire Family has always been lucky. Back in the day, our little Ghostfire's great grandfather managed to pick up Mr. Ross, and now it's little Ghostfire's turn to find pearls. From this, it's clear that the Great Dragon of the Grand Duchy has always been watching over us, blessing us."

Baron Roman said wryly, "Listen to you talk."

A Bipedal Flying Dragon and a few pearls are completely incomparable.

After giving away the pearl gifts and receiving a batch of Magic Elixirs, Russell felt that it was about time to leave. He prepared to get up and bid farewell.

Meryl asked eagerly, "Russell, are you staying overnight at the castle?"

"Uh, no mother."

"Sigh, alright then."

Just one night apart, and Meryl already missed her son.

Baron Roman massaged his wife's shoulders, consoling her, "We're not far; it's right under our noses. What's there to worry about... Russell, go back, manage the manor well, and don't fall behind in your Battle Qi training."

"Yes, father."

"Why do you have to leave so soon?" Lady Ingrid murmured, "The little Ghostfires are all grown up now."

"Grandmother, I will visit you often," Russell said with a smile.

Lola also came over and said, "Russell, when are you going to take me to the Wuyao Snake Manor?"

"Next time. When I have the time, I will come to pick you up… Grandmother, father, mother, no need to see me off, I'm leaving now."

With a wave of his hand, Russell left Fluorescent Castle with flair.

Once he passed the stone archway outside the castle, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief; Fluorescent Castle always made him feel restrained.

Luckily, Mr. Ross seemed to have wandered off somewhere else today and wasn't in the castle, so Russell wasn't subjected to his ominous glances, which would have made him feel even more constrained.

The sun was to the west; the horse headed south.

After galloping for two hours down the Charcoal Dust Road, Russell returned to his faithful domain, the Wuyao Snake Manor.

"My lord, welcome home," Butler Morris, along with the male and female servants, greeted him at the main entrance as he returned.

Though the servants were few, proper protocols couldn't be neglected.

"Where are Mr. Charles and Mr. Eric?"

"The two lords have gone to inspect the manor."

"Hmm, Morris, I won't be returning to the annex," Russell turned his horse around, leading his four Knight Attendants back on the road, and began his first inspection of his domain along the manor's internal trails.

Not far from the manor's annex was Pea and Wheat Hamlet.

Half of the serfs in Pea and Wheat Hamlet cultivated flat beans while the other half grew wheat. In the center of the hamlet, there was also a small market. The majority of the manor's serfs lived near this small market area, huddling close to one another.

There were no crisscrossing streets, only a northwest-to-southeast Charcoal Dust Trail. The serfs' houses were distributed along both sides of the trail.

Mostly wooden houses with a scattering of two-story stone-constructed buildings.

The arrival of a party of five riders swiftly aroused the serfs in the small market, and then the serf manager who had met Russell yesterday took the lead and knelt on the ground.

"Welcome, my lord!"

"The lord has come to inspect the manor!"

"Praise the lord!"

In a rustle, the serfs knelt down en masse, creating a messy scene, but as if by telepathy, they cleared the Charcoal Dust Trail so that Russell and his group could pass through on horseback.