However, before Jasmine could act, a gentle but firm knock came from the corridor outside.
Jasmine opened the door and sure enough, saw the old Butler wearing a long nightgown, holding a flickering candlestick standing outside.
"Good evening, respected Lord, please forgive me for disturbing your sleep." The old Butler bowed slightly, performing a standard gentleman's salute to Jasmine despite wearing pajamas.
"Good evening, William. What is the situation outside? Is it undead creatures from the Dry Tree Forest running out to attack?" Jasmine asked straight to the point, her hand clutching the hem of her clothes.
"Do not worry, my Lord, it is absolutely not dangerous undead creatures from the Dry Tree Forest, just ordinary small animals on the wasteland like foxes, weasels, or prairie wolves." The old Butler smiled reassuringly, his voice calm. "Those small animals get hungry every three days and run over to cause a ruckus, looking for leftovers. But the castle retains the majestic aura of the Black Dragon protecting it; they are terrified and dare not encroach, only daring to howl outside but cannot run in. My Lord can rest assured and go back to sleep; tomorrow morning they will leave on their own."
If not for the fact that Jasmine was encountering this for the first time, and fearing the noise would frighten the newly appointed Lord from the peaceful, prosperous Royal Capital, the old Butler would not have taken the trouble to run over to explain at length in the middle of the night like this.
Jasmine sighed in relief upon hearing this; she hadn't expected that although the giant dragon of the past had disappeared, it could still always protect its territory with its remaining prestige.
Having determined that as long as she didn't go out, there would be no danger to her life, Jasmine then became slightly curious: "Why do those small animals run near the castle? There isn't anything for them to eat here, is there?"
"Perhaps it is because the smell of pork today was too fragrant, my Lord," the old Butler replied humorously.
The old Butler fell silent suspiciously, then reminded tactfully: "My Lord, you just hunted a wild boar this morning; it might have been seen by those small animals, so they are angry."
Jasmine was stunned and asked in surprise: "What does that mean?"
"They are taking revenge on us." The old Butler said it a bit more bluntly, looking apologetically towards the pitch-black window.
"Huh?" Jasmine could not believe it. "Are small animals on the wasteland that united? Then won't we be unable to hunt anymore in the future?"
Prey in the forest was their only current source of meat; Jasmine couldn't bear to give it up just like that.
If this supply source was lost, the whole castle would fall into a state of severe protein deficiency again.
"Not necessarily. This entire territory belongs to you; you can do whatever you want." After all, even if they hunted in the forest, those animals dared not rush straight into the castle.
Although the Black Dragon's aura had faded, the residual power remained.
"Then how will they take revenge on us?" Since they couldn't break into the castle, was it just howling outside at midnight to disturb people's sleep?
"Likely, they will destroy our vegetable garden a bit." The old Butler spoke somewhat uncertainly, his tone rather hesitant.
"How can that be? Can't we chase them away?" Jasmine panicked.
The whole castle had only a few vegetable patches in total, growing in a malnourished way with yellow leaves and skinny stems; if the small animals destroyed them all, they wouldn't dream of eating fresh vegetables for a short while.
Moreover, it would cost them a food source; for the Black Dragon Castle which was already short on supplies, this was truly misfortunes never coming singly.
"Oh my, my Lord, you cannot go out now." Seeing Jasmine about to go out, the old Butler hurriedly spread his arms to stop her, his thin body blocking right in front of the door.
Although they were said to be small animals outside, who knew if a couple of carnivores were mixed in? The night wind on the wasteland howled like weeping; without a knight for protection, the old Butler dared not let Jasmine take the risk no matter what.
Listening to the old Butler analyze the pros and cons, Jasmine also calmed down. She took a deep breath, told the old Butler to go back and rest; it was pitch black outside now, whatever happened would be dealt with tomorrow morning.
Jasmine listened to the sound of slaves snoring soundly downstairs for a while; it was so noisy outside, with the sound of claws scratching against stone, yet this group of slaves was not affected at all.
Sometimes Jasmine quite admired their carefree nature, but this also indirectly reflected the slaves' trust in the absolute safety of the castle.
Jasmine felt a bit amused, stood at the door for a while longer, felt the cold seeping through the crack of the door, then returned to her room.
Jasmine lay on her side on the bed, looking at the Dragon Egg by the pillow, thought for a moment, and reached out to pull the Dragon Egg into her embrace.
The Dragon Egg was warm and cool, the rough shell bringing a strange sense of security; it was very comfortable to hug in this weather.
Moreover, the Dragon Egg was different from other types of eggs; its surface was extremely hard. Even if one took an iron hammer to smash the Dragon Egg, the shell might not necessarily crack.
So Jasmine did not worry that her poor sleeping posture would crush the Dragon Egg; she buried her face in the blanket, inhaling the faint scent from the egg.
Unknown if it was a psychological effect or not, after hugging the Dragon Egg, the worry about the vegetable garden temporarily subsided. Jasmine fell asleep very quickly, and furthermore, had a dreamless night.
The noisy scratching sounds outside the window seemed to be blocked by something, not waking Jasmine up again.