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Ever since his transmigration, Russell had never felt entirely safe, especially in a world where transcendent powers existed.
Snow Demons ravaged, Great Dragons roared.
He was constantly afraid that some unforeseen power might kill him by accident.
Maybe those who have died once fear death even more. When Russell found out there were assassins, he was genuinely terrified and broke out into a cold sweat.
A couple of solid smacks finally helped him calm down a bit.
"Are you saying Lone Wolf Lisbon is planning to lure a group of Snow Ghosts to invade my territory to test my methods?" Russell sat down again.
After listening to the explanation from Wanderer Catherine, he couldn't help but turn to look at Eric, and then at Charles, who was called in afterwards.
Eric said in a muffled voice, "I've heard of Lisbon, a great Ranger, and over by Echo Water River Cavern, they call him the Lone Wolf boss."
"The boss, Lone Wolf Lisbon, huh, I've heard of this name too," Charles's eyes kept wandering over Catherine, "As for this wanderer, she should be one of the Wildcat sisters, the elder sister Katie and the younger Catherine, both well-known figures."
"The Wildcat sisters?" Russell asked curiously.
Catherine was still tied up, sitting on the damp floor. Her black face cloth had been pulled off, revealing her swollen cheeks.
But it was apparent that even if her face wasn't swollen, she was quite plain.
Her skin was pale, her eye sockets sunken. She wasn't old, but she had deep laugh lines which gave her the look of a drug addict.
"My sister and I don't want to be under the rule of the Lone Wolf boss. The Echo Water River Cavern has always followed the principle of freedom. We may be the rats of the underworld, but we refuse to be anyone's slaves," Catherine said earnestly, looking at Russell.
Charles snorted, "You lowly freemen, what principles do you speak of? The life of a slave is better than yours."
"You don't understand what freedom is..." Catherine's voice dropped, "Moreover, we only refuse to be the slaves of the underworld."
Hearing this, Russell raised an eyebrow.
But he didn't comment on it.
He simply asked again, "Lone Wolf Lisbon wants to lure the Snow Ghosts to invade my territory. Why then, would you come to deliver this message to me? Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to get along with Lisbon when you go back, or that you're simply using my hand to get rid of him?"
"You have Mr. Roman supporting you, and we, the Wildcat sisters, just want to live well. We also hope that you, as our distinguished neighbor, can continue to live well."
"A distinguished neighbor?" Russell stroked his chin, "Has my reputation for excellence reached Echo Water River Cavern already?"
He hadn't shown his talents yet; how had he earned such a name for excellence?
Catherine's response cleared his doubts: "Lords who employ serfs and are willing to provide them with meals are not many."
"Hmm," Russell suddenly felt somewhat emotional.
So just by doing that, he was already considered an excellent lord. The demands of the serfs and the freemen on their lords were indeed very low.
He looked at Catherine and asked indifferently, "How can I trust you?"
"I carry a letter written by my sister on me. I originally planned to slip it through the window... and incidentally, to have a glimpse of the new lord."
Charles quickly went over and frisked Catherine.
"Stop touching me randomly... There is a hidden pocket by the knee!" Catherine's face turned red, making her slap marks more distinct.
"I need to make sure you're not carrying any weapons," Charles said with righteous indignation before he finally felt a folded letter from the inner seam near the knee of her tight clothing.
He handed it to Russell.
Russell unfolded it and read the crumpled note: "Dear Neighbor, be wary of Lisbon, he will entice the Snow Ghosts to invade Wuyao Snake Manor."
The signature was: "Your neighbor, Little Wildcat."
"Shrouded in mystery," Russell commented on the letter, and on the Wildcat sisters, finding their methods somewhat lacking in class.
Catherine defended herself, "We can't afford to offend you or the Lone Wolf boss."
Assured that Catherine wasn't there to assassinate him, Russell suddenly felt a loss of interest, "Mr. Charles, untie her, and also, get her a cup of hot water."
"Thank you." Catherine looked deeply at Russell.
"Do you need a change of dry clothes?"
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"No need to change, my clothes are lined with fleece and fit tightly to my skin; they don't let any rain seep in." Catherine pulled up the collar of her garment and gave it a quick shake, flinging off all the moisture on the outer layer, "Besides, as a Ranger, I have Battle Qi that protects my body, so I can wear damp clothes just fine."
A Ranger is but a Wanderer; different people have different names for them.
"Can we be certain when Lisbon will lure the Snow Ghosts to attack?"
"It should be within these few days. They are already preparing, and they must act quickly. Otherwise, once the warm season arrives, the threat of a Snow Ghost invasion will greatly diminish."
In the Dragon Sleep Continent, there are no distinct four seasons. The power struggle between the Snow Demons and the Great Dragons causes periods of ice and warm seasons to alternate across the land.
During the ice period, Snow Ghosts wreak havoc; in the warm season, they must behave much more modestly.
After all, in the warm season, the power of the Great Dragon spreads underground in the Glowing Valley, which severely diminishes the strength of any Snow Ghost that enters.
"How many people are in the Echo Water River Cavern?" Russell posed another question.
"Around five hundred or so. There's only one Big Ranger, the Lone Wolf himself. Five or six Rangers, some Wandering Souls, and the rest are all pitiful people." Wandering Souls are those who have only formed a Qi Seed, akin to the state of a Knight's essence.
"Seeing your attitude towards us Wildcat sisters, it seems you don't despise me as your Lord. So, why choose to live in the Echo Water River Cavern?"
Catherine lowered her head and let out a cryptic smile, "No one can reject their own origins. We've lived in the Echo Water River Cavern since we were young. As for your question why, I don't really know either. Perhaps the cavern is dark and damp, but it's where I was born and raised."
Russell expressed neither agreement nor objection to this.
Having asked all he wanted, he stood up and said, "Do you need me to arrange a room for you to rest?"
"No, that won't be necessary. If I could, I'd like your permission to return now. If I'm late, the Lone Wolf might discover it," Catherine replied after gulping down some hot water, her voice tinged with unease.
She had no idea how she would be treated upon her return.
"Russell..." Charles began, as though wanting to say something.
Russell gently raised his hand to stop Charles mid-sentence and looked at Catherine with indifference, "Please exit through the front door when you leave."
"Okay."
Moments later, a baffled Butler Morris saw Catherine out the door.
Without accepting the umbrella Morris offered, Catherine dashed into the curtain of rain and soon vanished on the charcoal cinder path.
"Russell, you shouldn't have let her go just like that. The words of a cavern commoner can't be trusted," Charles complained.
Russell gave a faint smile, "Killing her or detaining her has little meaning."
Then, dropping the smile, he said sternly, "The most crucial thing now is to prepare for the Snow Ghosts' attack, regardless of whether Catherine was telling the truth or lying. Mr. Eric, do we have the strength to cope with an attack?"
After a moment's consideration, Eric replied, "I'm afraid not, Sir. It would be best to notify Lord Baron and request that Knight Commander Kendall come to take charge."
The Territory Patrol Knight Captain Kendall is a Phantom Beast Knight.
With Kendall present, unless the Snow Demon personally invades, no amount of Snow Ghosts could make a dent in the territory's defense.
Charles nodded in agreement, "Indeed, Russell, you mustn't be reckless with this matter. We should inform the Baron immediately."
Concerning their lives, Russell naturally wouldn't act rashly, "Fine, first thing tomorrow morning, I'll send a Knight Attendant to Fluorescent Castle with a message."
"Send someone now, while the little wildcat hasn't returned yet. Get Knight Commander Kendall here as soon as possible." Charles shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows if Catherine is just a scout. What if Lone Wolf Lisbon is right behind her?"
Russell saw the wisdom in this.
Going with the flow, he immediately asked Morris to call for two Knight Attendants, Tom and John, and ordered them to hurry to Fluorescent Castle at full gallop.
After the Knight Attendants rode off, Russell and the others had no desire to sleep and decided to play a game of chess in the study instead.
"Russell, are you trying to subdue the commoners of the Echo Water River Cavern?" Charles, ever perceptive, had long since caught on to some indications.
"I do harbor such an immature thought," Russell admitted.
"If you asked for my opinion, I would surely object. Commoners are not good seed. However, if you are determined to do so, I can only urge you to be cautious. You'll need to carefully discern which of the commoners have the blood of their kin on their hands."
Russell nodded, moved a chess piece, and then calmly added, "I won't act blindly. Additionally, my goal is to completely resolve the situation of the Echo Water River Cavern."