Evil dragon has a warm heart

More and more white horses were being bought by the Fluorescent Fungi Family from all over the Shadowflame Grand Duchy and then transported back to the Glowing Valley through caravans.

Then they were transported via the newly inaugurated "Quiet Dream Avenue" to the Cloud Dream Ranch.

The full name of Quiet Dream Avenue is the main road from Glowing Valley to Cloud Dream Lake.

The road started from Yuanguang Town, spanned the Sharp Knife Mountain Range, led to the main road of Black Water River, passed through Redwater Town, entered the main road of Xiangshui River, and finally ended by the lakeside of Cloud Dream Lake—where a market town would be built eventually.

This road, connecting three market towns, was all paved with asphalt, allowing carriages to sprint at great speed.

It significantly sped up the transport of passengers and freight between the Glowing Territory and Thunderflame Territory.

Many more such asphalt roads were to be constructed in the future, creating a comprehensive network of transportation in the entirety of the Warm Enclave.

"Sign here, and you can go,"

In the loading area of the Cigar Factory, a coachman signed on the bill of lading and successfully drove the carriage away from the factory.

He quickly turned onto Quiet Dream Avenue.

The carriage was filled with Cloud Mist series of Rain Dragon Cigars, heading westward, quickly crossing the Sharp Knife Mountain Range, entering the boundary of Glowing Valley, and eventually unloading in Yuanguang Town.

Signing, receipt.

The coachman had completed his task, but the journey of the Cloud Mist Cigars had not ended. After a brief stop in Yuanguang Town for registration and ledger entry, they were moved onto a carriage from Fluorescent Castle.

The carriage left Yuanguang Town, traveling on the yet-to-be updated Charcoal Dust Road, and soon entered Great Wind Manor. This manor, belonging to Uncle Rosen, was originally abutting the cavern and snowfield, but, as the resonance of the Warmth expanded, the cavern and snowfield retreated several miles to the north.

The area of the manor was thus expanded, and at the northern edge, a trading center was constructed.

The carriage from Fluorescent Castle stopped here, waiting for several other carriages to join, forming a caravan that then set off together into the snowfield trade routes.

Battling the snowstorms of the Warm Season, the caravan crossed the snowfield three days later and arrived at Glowing Ji. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Today’s Glowing Ji was even more bustling than a market town, as the caravan from Fluorescent Castle had just arrived and was immediately surrounded by a large number of merchants. However, the carriages transporting the cigars were encircled by several caravans bearing noble banners, which directly took away the cigars.

After these noble caravans signed for the cigars, they immediately left Glowing Ji and returned to their respective noble estates.

"Phew!"

As the caravan entered the manor, the sign at the entrance of the manor was scribbled with the words "Pitcher Plant."

Waiting for the carriages to stop, the steward immediately directed the workers to unload the cigars: "Be careful, don’t damage the boxes!"

The butler of the manor’s small castle came out enthusiastically to greet them: "Have the cigars arrived?"

"Good, good, the master’s appetite has decreased a lot these past few days without the Cloud Mist Cigars!"

Smoking cigars had already become a fashion in the Grand Duchy of Shadowflame.

Pipes were for the common folk, cigars were for the knights—it had become an unwritten rule in the Grand Duchy. And the magical Cloud Mist Cigars were exclusively hoarded by nobles such as earls, barons, and lords, hardly enough to go around.

"Sir, sir, the Cloud Mist Cigars have arrived!" Soon, the butler entered the small castle’s study with a box of Cloud Mist Cigars.

At that moment,

The owner of the small castle, also the owner of Pitcher Plant Manor, Lord Boris, was having a craving for a smoke.

"Quick, light it for me!" Upon seeing the Cloud Mist Cigars, Lord Boris acted as if he had seen a lifesaver, "I’ve been waiting for so long, I even shamelessly wrote to Lord Russell. Finally, the Cloud Mist Cigars have arrived!"

Taking a satisfying puff, he felt as if all his worries were being stripped away from his mind and body.

It was then that Lord Boris felt like having a casual chat with his butler: "Bob, is Cadix truly going to call off the engagement?"

"Yes, sir," Butler Bob replied with a pained expression, "Ever since he met Miss Bolif at the ball, Lord Cadix immediately reneged on the engagement and unilaterally destroyed it, even compensating you, sir, with one hundred gold coins."

"That Cadix!" Boris gritted his teeth with hatred, his nose trembling from wine flush, "My sister Bolif is a beauty beyond compare, and he fails to recognize it!"

Butler Bob lowered his head, fearing he might burst into laughter.

Miss Bolif...

She might even be less attractive than the current bearish face with a ruddy nose, wide forehead, square face, and prominent teeth right in front of him.

After stewing in annoyance for a while and puffing on his Cloud Mist Cigar twice, Boris’s anger subsided, "Well, losing a hundred gold coins was actually a gain... How much has the manor made these past two years from Bolif’s engagements alone?"

"From the engagement of Miss Bolif that you arranged the year before last, there have been five lords who broke off their engagements, compensating a total of four hundred and eighty-six gold coins," replied the butler.

"Hmm," Boris stroked his chin, that income was much more substantial than farming the manor or fighting in the Snowfields, "For my sister’s happiness, I must strive on, make more noble connections, and arrange more engagements!"

Clearing his throat, he said to Butler Bob, "Continue to research, find out which young and suitable nobles of the Grand Duchy are available, and consider the lords from Warm Enclave as well."

"Yes, sir!" Butler Bob responded excitedly, "I will definitely find out everything clearly for you, sir!"

Although Miss Bolif might be unsightly, she sure can bring in money!

She has not yet married, and she’s already brought back nearly five hundred gold coins to their small castle. How much more could she earn if she actually marries!

For a moment.

The master and servant exchanged a glance, sharing a tacit smile.

"Oh," just then, Lord Boris suddenly noticed that this time the packaging of the Cloud Mist Cigars was different.

Inside, not only were there ten cigars, but there was also an accompanying small card.

He picked up the card, which had a photo of a little sprite on the front and a message on the back.

"Niko is evolving, and every puff you take is a ceaseless source of energy for the little sprite —Russell Fluorescent Fungus," it read.

Holding the card.

Lord Boris was astonished, "A message from Lord Russell, this is... is Tobacco Sprite Niko evolving?"

The next moment, his expression turned serious, "I fought side by side with Lord Russell in the Second Meteor Fall War, we are comrades who have shared life and death. If Niko is about to evolve, I must lend my support at all costs!"

Immediately.

He said to Butler Bob, "I want to write a letter to Lord Russell and also order three cases, no, ten cases of Cloud Mist Cigars from the cigar factory! Use the hundred gold coins Cadix compensated as the deposit!"

"Yes, sir."

Boris quickly finished writing the letter and handed it to Butler Bob to send off.

He, meanwhile, puffing on his Cloud Mist Cigar, walked to the window, where he could perfectly see a plump lady swinging under a large tree.

With every swing, the two tree trunks, as thick as thighs, made unbearable creaking sounds.

"Truly... carefree and joyful, my lovely sister," Boris mused, "It’s a pity, if only Lord Russell had met you, we could have become in-laws... With Lord Russell’s rise, I would have become his right-hand man."

At the very least.

If Russell truly decided to break the engagement, he would likely compensate a substantial amount of money, perhaps even willing to pay one thousand gold coins!

Shaking his head, Boris stopped his idle thoughts.

He exhaled a puff of cigar smoke, flipping the card in his hands, praying devoutly, "May the Dragon watch over us, and the Glowing bless, Lord Russell’s Tobacco Sprite Niko, may she evolve into the Great Tobacco Sprite, and plant more Magic Tobacco every year... and may Cloud Mist Cigars be no longer rationed!"