Rein also stepped into the cabin at this moment, explaining to Luo De the origin of the Two-legged Flying Dragon eggs.
"So the Two-legged Flying Dragon attacked here because your daughter stole these two eggs?"
Luo De put his hands on his hips, taking a deep breath.
Initially, Luo De thought it was the noise caused by his own midnight attack that startled this creature with a body as hard as steel.
Now it seems it was entirely their own fault.
"Yes, my lord."
Rein looked helplessly at his daughter, Alya, then turned and said solemnly, "Thank you for saving everyone."
The Two-legged Flying Dragon is fierce and brutal, and upon catching a thief of its eggs, would certainly go on a rampage, wantonly slaughtering in the village.
This slaughter is different from a beast hunting for food; it's purely venting anger.
If not killed entirely, it would return again, essentially causing the village to be abandoned.
If not for Luo De's arrival, Rein had already planned to escape, and to prevent the Two-legged Flying Dragon from tracking his family by smell, he would have had to flee further.
"You are my subjects, paying taxes is your duty, and I should protect your lives too."
Luo De calmly said, "There is credit for you all in this matter too.
I really like the claw hook you all use, but would it be sturdier if the rope were replaced with a chain?"
The Hunter's claw hook had caught Luo De's attention just after the battle.
If it hadn't been for the claw hook restricting the Two-legged Flying Dragon's movement and drawing its attention, Luo De wouldn't have dared to approach recklessly.
The swift change of topic made Rein pause for a moment, hesitating before saying, "If replaced with iron chains, the weight would increase significantly. More importantly, we've never had a blacksmith to forge them."
"Let me arrange it."
Luo De felt the weight should not be an issue for the strong Rein.
"So what are these two Two-legged Flying Dragon eggs for? Eating?"
Luo De refocused his attention on the Two-legged Flying Dragon eggs,
"Or, perhaps, hatching?"
Even though Luo De was quite curious about how dragon eggs would taste compared to regular bird eggs,
the thought of possessing two Two-legged Flying Dragons excited him even more.
By that time, he wouldn't just be a Dragon Slayer, but a Dragon Knight as well.
Even if they turned out to be disobedient after hatching, he could still kill them for meat later.
But—
"Does anyone know how to hatch them?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
"Looks like I'll have to go into town and find some books to check."
Luo De suddenly realized that his territory lacked a knowledgeable scholar.
Not only to provide this type of wildlife knowledge, but also to address cultural education within the territory—
at the very least, the children need to learn to read, instead of always relying on oral transmission to pass down news and knowledge.
Luo De immediately had someone bring two wooden crates, filled them with dry grass, and ensured the surroundings were soft and comfortable before placing the Two-legged Flying Dragon eggs inside.
In fact, the shells of the Two-legged Flying Dragon eggs are very hard, unlike ordinary poultry eggs that are fragile, but Luo De dared not be careless at all.
If an egg were to break, there wouldn't even be soup to be had.
After killing the Two-legged Flying Dragon, the atmosphere in the village eased a lot, and the Black Stone Mountain People and soldiers started chatting leisurely.
Rein proactively brought his friends to Luo De, introducing them one by one.
"This is my wife, Luna Thornflower, an excellent Herbalist."
Rein introduced while holding the woman beside him who was two heads shorter.
Luna looked a few years older than Rein, but from her clear and delicate face, it was evident she was a beautiful girl in her youth.
"Good day, my lord."
Luna bowed her head in salute, saying nothing more, appearing somewhat fearful of Luo De.
But Rein didn't want to skip over his wife, continuing, "She was also the one who gave me a second life.
Thirty years ago, I fell off a cliff nearly dead while hunting a black bear, and it was Luna who brought me back here and healed me with herbs, so I stayed here."
"You're indeed fortunate, not only saving your life but also finding love."
Luo De said with a smile, "You should also thank that black bear who helped you find love."
Rein nodded, "Yes, so I made its fur into a cloak for Luna, to forever witness my love."
"I guess that black bear never intended to witness it this way."
When Luo De finished, everyone couldn't help but laugh out loud.
In this era, a so-called Herbalist is essentially a physician.
Perhaps they don't have the myriad tools of city physicians, but they are familiar with various herbs' properties and the ailments they can treat, using this to battle death.
In fact, many nobles train one of their offspring as a Herbalist to regularly provide services to family members.
Luo De valued this Herbalist greatly, so when he saw her fearing him, he made a joke with Rein.
The tense atmosphere indeed relaxed a bit.
"Dolan and Macao are Luna's brothers, very skilled hunters. You saw their precise claw hooks."
"Wolf, but we all call him Hound; he has strong tracking abilities, able to find prey just by spotting a pile of dung."
"Alya is my daughter; her Archery Skill is even more precise than mine, adept at Concealment, especially in the wild."
The four people respectfully saluted Luo De, who nodded in satisfaction.
No wonder they survived in the Black Stone Mountain Range; these hunters are all talents.
"In the future, as you serve me, I will not treat anyone unfairly or be stingy."
Luo De looked at the hunters, saying earnestly, "Your performance today was commendable; I'll give each of you a corresponding reward when we return to Frost Leaf Town."
"Your main task next is to clear those Deserted and forest beasts around Frost Leaf Town to prevent them from affecting the spring planting."
Desert Wolves and hyenas are still a minority; the worst are wild chickens, deer, rabbits, and wild boars.
These animals are powerful destroyers of seeds and seedlings, and wild boars will break fences and even overturn the ground.
Ordinary people simply can't handle wild boars, and even soldiers have to be extremely cautious when facing them.
"Yes, my lord, we will definitely handle them."
The hunters responded in unison.
Luo De let them good rest, not further interrupting, and turned to leave.
Luo De had noticed that after acquiring the "Sub Dragon Slayer" title, most people, except Durant, Gang Le, and Rein, could not meet his gaze directly.
This might be a good way to reverse-screen people.
But it also made Luo De sigh, realizing he was doomed not to be a lord who connects well with the people.
Thus, Luo De didn't force himself to mingle with everyone, instead choosing to finish his honey-roasted venison and mushroom bacon soup alone before resting.
However, the soldiers did not rest.
Man Xiu lent a wagon, allowing the soldiers to load the village's iron ore and goods, as well as the Two-legged Flying Dragon's corpse, onto it.
Without proper tools, Rein did not fully dissect the Two-legged Flying Dragon.
Rein merely collected Dragon Blood, opened its soft underbelly, took out its innards, and cut off most of the meat, leaving the overall skeleton mostly intact.
Luo De found every part of the Two-legged Flying Dragon useful, so he wasted nothing, loading everything onto the wagon to be transported back.
Too few soldiers remained stationed in Frost Leaf Town, so the team couldn't stay outside for too long.
At dawn the next day, before light broke, Durant led the soldiers and some villagers to transport the cargo back to Frost Leaf Town.
Luo De stayed an extra day in the village with Gang Le and ten guards, waiting for Man Xiu's wagon to be returned.
Guided by Rein, Luo De visited a mine and led people to seal the entrance properly.
The current iron ore is sufficient for a while; Luo De currently lacks the energy and manpower to heavily develop this vein.
The village must not be completely abandoned—this will be the forward base for developing the Black Stone Mountain Range.
In the future, mining and transporting ore in these deep forests will inevitably be a major challenge. It might be better to directly refine pig iron here, or even forge products on site.
This place is well-concealed, with sufficient wood to make charcoal, fully capable of becoming an Alchemy Workshop.
However, not everyone needs to stay; 3-5 hunters and soldiers taking turns can guard it.
After Man Xiu's wagon was returned, Luo De personally led the team to escort Man Xiu to the border of Black Pine Territory.
At noon, under the gentle sun,
Luo De dismounted, casually handed a leather pouch embroidered with a crest to Man Xiu,
"Take this as a gift."