Mr. Ross was a dragon, but not a Great Dragon. Instead, he was a Bipedal Flying Dragon with the attribute of a Clay Dragon.
It wasn't that he was made of clay, but that he could produce clay.
He didn't produce it in the way that one pulls clay.
It was the land where he resided, where his Dragon Breath and blood seeped into the earth, and over time, clay mines, a type of metal deposit, were born.
"Clay... metal?"
At first, Russell was also confused, but in the human cognition of this world, clay was considered a type of metal, a kind that could become extremely hard through sintering.
Ros the Clay Dragon, since being contracted by the first Baron of Glowing Valley, had now guarded the Fluorescent Fungi Family for over sixty years.
In the vicinity of Glowing Valley, three clay mine veins were nurtured one after another.
An endless supply of clay was produced and sintered by the family into various exquisite ceramics, sold throughout the entire Shadowflame Grand Duchy and even abroad.
At the same time.
Ros the Clay Dragon also represented the strongest battle force of the territory, with several Snow Demon invasions repelled by the Dragon Breath of Ros the Clay Dragon.
Without the dragon, the Baron's family would not be able to establish themselves in Glowing Valley.
Fortunately, the lifespan of a Bipedal Flying Dragon was very long, generally living three to five hundred years, and Ros the Clay Dragon was not yet seventy years old.
He could still guard the Fluorescent Fungi Family for several generations, or even over a dozen.
"Contracting Mr. Ross, I'm afraid, is no longer a possibility." On the return trip to Fluorescent Castle, Russell had entirely abandoned this idea.
It wasn't that he lacked greed, nor did he not want to become a dragon knight—a Flying Dragon Knight was also a dragon knight.
Neither was it that he was too modest, thinking that his older brother Roland, as the future Baron and family head, should be the one to contract Ros the Clay Dragon.
It was because his identity as a transmigrator might have been sensed by Ross.
"Dragons have such keen intuition... If only Mr. Ros could not talk, I might have..." Recalling the time right after his transmigration, Russell felt a chill run down his spine.
Originally, he had been eating a Dream Dragon Ice Cream while crossing the street when he was unexpectedly run over by a fully-loaded dump truck, like an assassin's blow.
His consciousness faded, and he found himself within this body.
The original occupant had somewhat lackluster talent, having started to train in Battle Qi according to the "Douqi Cultivation Manual" at the age of seven and only cultivating a Qi Seed at the age of ten.
Seeing that the rite of adulthood was approaching and the Qi Seed had still not blossomed to birth true Battle Qi,
He bit the bullet and forcibly assaulted the Qi Seed.
This caused a deviation during his cultivation, costing him his life.
But thanks to the original's desperate gamble, the Qi Seed managed to bloom successfully, so after Russell's soul merged, he did not have to face this difficulty and directly possessed the long-desired Battle Qi, becoming a qualified Knight.
However,
As soon as he stepped out, he was fixated upon by Mr. Ross, perched atop the tower of Fluorescent Castle. Through a window pane, those dragon eyes, bigger than a cow's, glared at him for a whole quarter of an hour.
Russell had no doubt that if not for the restraint of the bloodline contract, Mr. Ross would have blasted him with Dragon Breath then and there,
Turning him into ash.
Pressured by the contract, Mr. Ross ultimately did not harm him, but his attitude towards Russell took a sharp turn for the worse.
To prevent anyone from noticing anything amiss, Russell immediately decided he would keep his distance from Mr. Ross in the future. Just as well, he was appointed a Lord by his father, Baron Roman, during the rite of adulthood, granting him his own territory to develop earnestly.
"As the younger son of a Baron, let me uphold the nobility's principles and leave the opportunities for closeness with Mr. Ross to my older brother, the primary heir to the Baron."
The group of three riders parted ways at the crossroads of the town.
"Mr. Charles, Mr. Eric, farewell for now." Russell waved his hand.
The crossroads split into two paths, one leading to the town and the other to a castle atop a mound of earth. As the lords of Glowing Valley, the Fluorescent Fungi Family did not live in the noisy, dirty town but resided in Fluorescent Castle, away from the town.
Charles made a motion as if taking off his hat and bowed on horseback, baring his large yellow teeth and smiling, "Lord Russell, I look forward to hearing your good news."
Eric couldn't learn this gesture and simply said in a low voice, "Goodbye, Lord."
Once Russell rode away.
Charles invited, "There's still time before the sun sets; how about a drink at the tavern?"
"No, thanks."
"Such a boring fellow."
As Eric turned to leave, Charles hurried to keep up, trying to make conversation, "Don't you think Russell has changed a lot lately? He used to be quiet and reticent, but now, although he still doesn't talk much, he seems... more decisive."
Eric responded, "The offspring of Lord Baron should be like that."
"I mean, he's changed quite a bit."
"Matured, advanced, he's now a man."
"Um, indeed..." Charles nodded in agreement with Eric's comment, "Knights gain confidence when they have battle Qi."
He then sighed with emotion, "A true knight should bravely ride dragons!"
Eric rolled his eyes.
As a great knight infused with surging battle Qi, not to mention riding dragons, he couldn't even mount a fantasy beast. In the entire Glowing Valley, all newly born fantasy beasts belonged to the Baron's family, and unless one accomplished great military feats, there was no chance of forming a bond.
"I hope... by following Russell, I can achieve the goal of riding a fantasy beast..."
Meanwhile.
Russell Fluorescent Fungus, the one entrusted with hopes, had already arrived at the gates of Fluorescent Castle.
This was a traditional stone castle, with walls built of huge slabs of stone, filled with a mix of various magical materials. Even a chop infused with battle Qi would hardly leave any mark; it was unbreakable.
Atop the soaring towers hung the banner of the Fluorescent Fungi Family, on which a cluster of bright green mushrooms embroidered in the form of a skull could vaguely be seen.
That was the Glowing Mushroom, also known as the Glowing Mushroom, the most important source of magic potions for the family.
The banner fluttered in the wind.
The green skull swayed from side to side.
"Huh." Russell exhaled a breath of foul air and rode his horse through the gate.
The guard at the entrance, clad in heavy leather armor, immediately saluted by thumping his chest with one hand as Russell passed through the gate.
Stone archways and corridor bridges led to the end, where stood Fluorescent Castle, built of huge stones.
To highlight the family's glory, the entire path was paved with ceramic floor tiles, and even the outer wall of the main castle was clad with a shimmering silver-grey layer of tiles.
The grey towers and castle walls were dark and heavy, and the silver-grey main castle twinkled beautifully.
This was a castle that had never been baptized by the flames of war.
The Snow Demons of the frost-covered lands had never broken through to the heart of the Glowing Valley; the frequent marriages among nobles within Shadowflame Duchy also ensured that there was little fratricide. The occasional signs of wear were mostly caused by the claws of Mr. Ross.
"Chirp, chirp..."
Russell looked up to see a black shadow swoosh over his head, making a sharp cry disproportionate to its size.
Ros the Clay Dragon had returned.
"Hngh, Hngh." The black horse beneath him, though noble, began to quiver at the majesty of the dragon, snorting non-stop.
"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous," Russell soothed the neck of his black horse.
Whoosh!
The passing shadow landed on a tower on the other side of the castle, its massive bat-like wings folding in. The claws under the wing membranes hooked onto the edge of the tower, balancing its body while drawing its sturdy hind legs onto the ledge.
Perched atop the tower like a gargoyle, it surveyed the Fluorescent Castle below and gazed out at the entirety of the Glowing Valley.
Its entire body was covered with fine dark red scales, overlapping each other, appearing almost black.
The ferocious dragon head featured vertically-pupiled dragon eyes that swiveled round and round.
The eyes caught sight of Russell riding his way home, briefly bared its teeth in response, exhaled two gentle puffs of dark red dragon breath from its nostrils, and then diverted its gaze elsewhere.
Russell calmed his mount.
He didn't look at Ros the Clay Dragon, but instead glanced down at the palm of his left hand. There, seemingly stimulated by the Clay Dragon, his palm warmed slightly and then sketched out a faint red mark in the shape of an "M."
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the mark depicted a slender dragon with outstretched wings in flight.
He clenched his fist.
As if extinguished by the motion, sparks flickered out from between the closed fingers, mingling with the air and vanishing.
"I have a dragon, too, but... I can only ride it in dreams..."