The Black Iron Glory
Lardor Snowhounds
Chapter 59
Lardor Snowhounds
Claude walked gracefully down the street with his weapon hung in the back. In the gun hung three rabbits and five turkeys, a catch from the noose they left a few days ago. Over the past five days, Claude and his three friends made hundreds of trap traps near the forest and hills, but they were all concentrated in the five main areas, which made their search easier. That way, Claude didn't have to spend much time eliminating the noose.
They make sure to change locations every day. At first, they mainly chose shrubs and grass growth near the foothills and put up tens to hundreds of meshes each time. When a turkey or rabbit goes to them to feed, there is a high chance that they will get into a trap and get caught in it.
As a result, Claude and the others had a big catch over the past few days. Every time they returned wherever they prepared the snares, they would find some that had not been triggered, so Claude would leave them there if any unfortunate animals were to fall prey to them later. There would probably be a surprise in the store for Claude every time he went there to check on him.
Right now, the prey hanging from his weapon were all shocking catches from the unburied traps he had left there. As for the 20 or so new traps they made yesterday, they only caught one rabbit. It is obvious from the low hit rate that the number of hares and turkeys in the area is drastically reduced.
After circling the hills and forest for two hours and eliminating the traps he left behind, Claude returned home.
The eight animals he carried on his back were rather heavy. He had not felt tired over the past few days because his friends were there to split his load. However, today, he had to carry weapons and animals, making him tired from walking much faster than usual. He decides to go to Poplar Ridge Farmstead to see if Regan will still make the trip to the city. That way, he can find a ride back.
The area covered by the farmstead was not large. There are only a little over ten acres of farmland that does not produce wheat, but fruits and vegetables. They also raise chickens to produce eggs. It was said that the owner of the farmstead was a merchant from the prefectural capital who had only come a few times since he bought it. Usually, he handed over his management to relatives.
Regan said that there are four farming families there who have been hired to care for the vegetable garden, blueberry garden, chicken coop and citrus garden. Regan herself on the other hand was an ordinary housekeeper who cared for dogs, served as a coachman and carried out miscellaneous duties. Farmstead has three large guard dogs, but they seem to be useless. They only know how to bark when they are hungry and can't even catch a rabbit entering the farm.
Around Poplar Ridge Farmstead is a small, two-meter-wide waterway that marks the border between farmlands. Most farms in the area use waterways such as borders, but small wooden planks will be laid on them to facilitate crossings. Claude walked along the waterway to the main entrance of the farmstead. What he did not expect was to be greeted by three barking dogs.
It doesn't really look like a guard dog. They appear much larger and their fur color does not look right either. The Whitestag watchdog is mostly gray, with fewer amounts being brown. These three large dog fur are a mixture of white, gray and yellow. . . Claude thinks that they look a lot like the husbands from his past life.
After hearing the barking, a fat woman from a nearby barn called out to the three dogs before asking Claude what he needed.
Claude tells her that he's looking for Regan. The woman looked at him before pointing to a one-story long building nearby, saying that Regan was still working there.
When he entered the main entrance, the three dogs stopped barking. However, they quietly followed Claude from behind as if they were escorting him. Claude realized that the dogs were not interested in him, but rather the animals hanging from his weapon. They looked more curious than fierce, as if they were wondering how the animals ended up in human hands.
The building seems stable. Trains can be seen parked in an empty space in front of the building. Regan knelt on the ground beside a large wooden box, seemingly preoccupied with something. As Claude approaches, he sees Regan playing with the puppies who appear to be two months old. The little white puppies jumped up actively and rolled around in the wooden box, playing nonstop. Two of them actively pursue Regan's hand which unfolds into the box.
"Why are you here?" regan asked as he looked up and saw Claude.
Claude threw the rabbit at him and said, "This is for you, as promised. But this will be the last time we catch it again."
"Thank you very much" Regan said as she picked up the rabbit, "Agot fat. I think we're gonna have an extra meal tonight. Oh, are you going back to town now?"
Claude nodded and placed his gun against the wall.
"Wait here for half an hour. I still have one egg rack and a few baskets of blueberries to send to the city later. You can join me when I'm gone."
"Well, I'll wait here."
"Well, I'll wait here."
"I'll go to the kitchen with this rabbit first. Humor this little puppy for me, huh? They really like to play." Regan turns and greets the three dogs behind Claude, caresses their heads, and points to Claude to tell them he is a friend before leaving.
The three dogs are fun to play with. They were filled with energy and naive curiosity. Claude puts his hand in the middle of them just like Regan did and they try to bite Claude's finger with their baby teeth while trying to pull their fat little body on the back of his hand, it seemed to be trying to push its hands down, before slipping and falling on a straw mat placed inside the box and starting their venture again from scratch.
The six little snowballs were so cute that no one could resist their charm.
The three dogs behind Claude sat quietly and watched as he played with the little puppies.
Claude heard footsteps coming from behind him and thought Regan had returned. Without turning around, he asked, "What kind of children are these? They're not the puppies of the three guard dogs, are they?"
"The three are not guard dogs. They're good bloodhounds, so are these puppies, young ones" said an unfamiliar voice.
"I'm sorry, Regan said that there were three guard dogs on the farm. I'm not educated about dog breeds" Claude said with his head lowered.
"Don't worry, young man. I'm Mokro, the supervisor of this farmland," the old man said with a smile. He approached the box and touched the little puppies' heads.
"It's nice to meet you, sir. I'm Claude, Regan's friend. I was just about to board his train back to town."
"I've heard from him" said Mokro, standing and looking at the animals near the wall with interest. "Did you catch all this? They live ... You didn't use your weapon for that?"
"I've heard from him" said Mokro, standing and looking at the animals near the wall with interest. "Did you catch all this? They live ... You didn't use your weapon for that?"
"Right, I used a trap for that," Claude replied.
"Said Regan that you used some kind of secret potion to soak some grain of wheat?" It seems Regan is a pretty talker. Fortunately, Claude did not tell him how he actually caught the beast.
"Some nuts and vegetable leaves, nuts and dried fruits as well. Little creatures love those things," Claude replied without the slightest change in expression.
"I heard people use grains of wheat soaked in alcohol as bait for turkeys to get them drunk. That way, catching them becomes easier."
Claude laughed and shook his head. "That's not gonna work. I think I remember reading a novel about a hunter who used that method to catch turkeys. However, it was just something that the author of the novel had created. It won't work in reality. First, the turkey will definitely not eat alcohol-soaked grains because of their pungent aroma.Secondly, the alcohol evaporates too quickly and the grains will become ineffective after a while.Three, turkeys are not humans, but, so it's hard to tell if they're gonna get drunk like us. "
"But isn't your secret potion not that different from liquor?"
Claude smiled in silence. The old man had ulterior motives; he was clearly trying to ask about the potion.
Mokro was not surprised to see Claude remain silent. "Morssen's Chief Secretary is your father, isn't he?"
Claude nodded.
"I met him a few times. He's a good bureaucrat. Without him, the Whitestag wouldn't have progressed nearly that fast."
"Thank you for your kind words. I'm sure my father would love to hear it," Claude replied politely.
"Do you like these dogs? I can give you one if you want" Mokro said suddenly.
"Thank you for your kind words. I'm sure my father would love to hear it," Claude replied politely.
"Do you like these dogs? I can give you one if you want" Mokro said suddenly.
"Oh, I appreciate the sentiment. These puppies are funny, but I don't think I want to." Claude started getting ready. The way he sees it, when people offer something for free, they usually want something in return.
"Actually, the lardor snow dog is the perfect playmate for kids" Mokro said as she approached the box and looked at the cute puppies. "This type of dog comes from snowy areas in the north. The North see them as members of their own family. They are loyal, reliable, brave, sensitive, and very intelligent.
"The Lardor snow dog doesn't have much history in our kingdom. The earliest example of their arrival was about two centuries ago when some northern traders gave Stellin III three snow-tracking dogs as birthday gifts. However, the dogs were mated with several other breeds in the palace and left no pure lineage. Only when Stellin IX ascended to the throne did he send people north to get more dogs of this breed.
"Of course, these three dogs of mine are not ancient pureblood lardor snow dogs. However, they were quite close to them because they had an ancient ancestor three generations and above. The lardor snow dog is the most popular pet in various royal cities and people like to let it keep an eye on their homes and play with their children. Their loyalty also causes them to never disappoint their owners. "
Claude felt somewhat moved by the idea. He thought of the absurd conditions he had promised Bloweyk. If he brought a snow white seal puppy for him, then he would not need to buy another gift. Bloweyk will definitely be on cloud nine. With the snow dog accompanying her, she probably wouldn't demand her mother to hug her often.
"Are you really going to give me this little puppy?" Claude licked his lips in anticipation.
"It's a snow-hunting dog, not just any normal puppy." Mokro seems dissatisfied at Claude's meeting about snow dogs and dogs. "of course. If you like, I can give you one. Your father made a major contribution to the development of the Whitestag, so consider it a gift of gratitude from my field for him."
"Then I won't take it. My father forbade me from receiving gifts on his behalf," Claude said as he looked at the puppies in the wooden box, "But I can trade one for the animal I caught. Will a turkey and one be enough? "
Mokro laughed out loud and gave Claude a high five. "All right, here's the deal. You can take one and bring it home."