Evil dragon has a warm heart-Chapter 108 - 107 Luxuriant Hair

Chapter 108: Chapter 107: Luxuriant Hair

Chapter 108 -107: Luxuriant Hair

After having a sumptuous lunch, Russell set off to the nearby pottery kiln and met the craftsman, Crooked Hat William.

“Mr. Russell, the time has not yet arrived, slag earth bricks and pottery are not so easily fired to perfection,” Crooked Hat William knocked his pipe on the wall and pushed a strapping young man forward, “Look, I’ve brought William here to be in charge of firing the slag earth bricks specifically.”

William was Crooked Hat William’s son and also the person Russell had designated as the manager of the brick kiln.

Upon seeing Russell, he immediately knelt and kowtowed, “William pays his respects to Sir.”

“A very shrewd young man, stand up, no need for such formalities,” Russell raised his hand, signaling William to stand.

Despite being only sixteen years old and, by estimation, a good ten years younger than William, when he spoke in an old-fashioned tone of voice, no one present found it odd—the status of nobility afforded Russell a stature above the rest.

“What stage has the firing of the slag earth bricks reached now?”

“We’ve just put them into the kiln for a preliminary firing,” explained William. “Before this, we made roughly more than ten types of bricks with different materials, and these past few days the brick blanks have just dried. They are undergoing a preliminary firing first, and after that, they will be officially fired.”

“What is a ‘preliminary firing’?” Russell inquired.

“Because the brick blanks contain moisture, if we fire them directly, the water would evaporate, causing the bricks to develop pores, a rough surface, and other problems. A preliminary firing strengthens the slag earth bricks’ strength, hardness, and appearance,” said William. “These are essential steps in pottery making.”

“I see,” Russell acknowledged, but then he quickly countered, “The problem is that slag earth bricks do not require the visual appeal of pottery. To be honest, I am not concerned about pores or if the surface is uneven and pitted; they just need to replace stones.”

“Ah, this…” William was suddenly at a loss and couldn’t help but look towards his father.

Crooked Hat William took a draw from his pipe and laughed, “So Mr. Russell’s requirements are this low. Well then, here’s what we’ll do: William, go ahead and open the kiln, skip the preliminary firing, and send all the brick blanks straight to the furnace for firing.”

Upon hearing his father’s words, William immediately responded, “Sir, would that be all right?”

“Yes, your father is an old craftsman, listen to him,” Russell smiled. He didn’t need the slag earth bricks to look good; they just had to be sturdy and durable.

After all, once the bricks were used to build a house, a layer of mortar would be applied to the outside, so it didn’t really matter what the bricks looked like.

Since the brick blanks had just started to be fired, there was nothing worth inspecting.

Russell left the pottery kiln shortly afterward, accompanied by his two Fantasy Beast guards, Kevin and the Red-eyed Rat King. He had intended to take a tour around the town to select a suitable location for building a brick kiln. However, he gave up on that thought since Red-eyed was accompanying him outside for the first time and seemed a bit intimidated.

The town was too crowded, and if Red-eyed got startled, it wouldn’t be easy to restrain this big rodent once it went wild.

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Even with Kevin by his side, it would be quite hard to stop him; after all, the magic power that Red-eyed Rat King had acquired was Bloodthirsty Blink, allowing it to teleport and flee at any moment.

After some acclimatization over time, once Red-eyed was no longer afraid of people, Russell could then take him for walks around the place.

A quarter of an hour later, Russell returned to Fluorescent Castle, where Charles had already brought the newly recruited beekeeper and was waiting in the castle early on.

“Lord, this is Kenny with the big beard, an old beekeeping technician. Moreover, he is a freeman, ready to start work on the estate at any time,” Charles introduced the beekeeper candidate.

Kenny indeed sported a thick beard and his hair was also dense and curly. So much hair almost completely covered his face, he was slightly stooped, and his hands, resting on his legs, trembled slightly, showing he was somewhat uneasy.

It was probably his first time in such a grand castle.

“Big-bearded Kenny, how old are you?” Russell asked.

“To answer Mr. Russell’s question, I, I am twenty-eight years old this year.”

“Only twenty-eight?” Russell was somewhat surprised. At first glance, he had thought that Kenny with his big beard must be at least fifty-eight, “Doesn’t it bother you to have such a long beard? Washing your face, brushing your teeth, eating, and drinking must all be affected, right?”

Kenny scratched the back of his head, uncomfortably saying, “I don’t want to keep a big beard either, but, but the town doctor said I was born with a lot of hair. If I shave it off, it just grows back quickly. I can never finish shaving, and, and it also costs money to shave, so I just don’t want to do it.”

Russell asked, “Won’t it just keep getting longer and longer then?”

Kenny grabbed his beard and made a mowing gesture, “When it gets too long, I cut it off with a kitchen knife. That way I don’t have to spend money on shaving.”

“Alright, back to the topic of beekeeping, how many years have you worked in a bee farm? Have you learned all the beekeeping skills?”

“I have, Mr. Russell, I started apprenticing at the bee farm when I was twelve and have lived there for sixteen years!” Speaking of beekeeping, Kenny’s discomfort instantly vanished, revealing a strong sense of confidence.

He then went on to discuss incessantly the key points of beekeeping, such as how to split bees, arrange hives, release them, merge, collect honey, induce a new queen, as well as how to prevent bee theft, cope with temperature extremes, remove the weak and keep the strong, speaking eloquently and at length.

“Very well, Kenny with the big beard, from now on, I appoint you as the beekeeper of the Wuyao Snake Manor, to breed Bear Honeybees for me. Charles has already mentioned the compensation, which will certainly double what you earned at the bee farm.”

“I am willing to serve you, Mr. Russell, no no, Sir!” Kenny with the big beard replied jubilantly.

On the second-floor corridor, the Baron and his wife had been paying close attention to the situation below.

Seeing Russell recruiting the beekeeper, Lady Meryl said with a smile, “Russell is progressing rapidly. He used to be an introverted and shy boy, and now he has become a competent Lord, getting better and better.”

Baron Roman said, “That’s why I’ve always insisted that when children grow up, they should go out and make their own way.”

“You’re always right.”

“That’s the way it is. Children of serfs start working with their parents at a young age and are sent to apprentice in their teens. Although we are nobility, there is not much difference in the way we raise our children. Hardship is a man’s best path to growth.”

Lady Meryl rolled her eyes: “Bullshit.”

“Ahem, lady, mind your manners,” Baron Roman almost choked, his wife had always been the epitome of a lady and had hardly ever uttered a curse word.

“I don’t care about any ladylike or unladylike. Russell is my son. If you’re not going to support him, I will support him with my dowry,” countered Lady Meryl sharply, “He put all his Magic Elixirs into it for a Fantasy Beast mouse, if I don’t support him, with what is he supposed to cultivate?”

“Just a few Magic Elixirs.”

“But you weren’t even willing to give a few Magic Elixirs.”

“When did I say I wouldn’t give them… I’ll tell Carter right now to get Russell a batch of Magic Elixirs.”

Lady Meryl was finally satisfied, speaking with a teasing smile, “Take it out of my dowry, so Lord Baron doesn’t feel the pinch.”

Baron Roman: “…”

——

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