Jasmine tested it a bit by throwing a log in; she felt that this trap could hoist an entire adult wild boar up without worrying that it would struggle and break the rope.
This effectiveness was much better than Jasmine's calculations; it was indeed worthy of the Dwarf blood flowing in their veins.
Even though they had not gone through formal schooling, with just a few reminders, they were able to produce works from discarded materials that were even more perfect than expected.
"Very good, tonight you can be allocated an extra bowl of thick bean porridge." Taking the initiative to mention the reward to the Dwarf brothers showed that Jasmine was truly very satisfied with this resourcefulness.
"As you command, my Lord." The old Butler, who had been standing and serving at the side the whole time, hurriedly recorded this matter in his notebook upon hearing this, while the two Dwarves were so excited that their faces turned red and their limbs became clumsy.
For them right now, no reward was as important as food to fill their hungry bellies.
The speed of the remaining slaves building the perimeter wall was not fast; by the time they rested in the evening, they had only enclosed the outer frame with piled stones. It was still far from achieving the effect of stopping small animals from invading, and there were still very many gaps.
Jasmine wanted to try the power of the traps this very night, so even though her eyelids were drooping with sleepiness, she still tried to stay awake.
She moved a high-legged chair to sit by the bedroom window, hugging the Dragon Egg in her arms to gain courage and warmth, quietly waiting for the small animals in the wilderness to start their activity.
Waiting until the early hours of the morning, the wind outside blew stronger and stronger. Just as Jasmine was about to nod off, her head drooping down, a familiar noisy sound rang out in the quiet night.
Jasmine's spirit was shaken; she hurriedly stood up and leaned out to look through the crack in the window.
The moonlight tonight was a bit brighter than the previous night, casting patches of silver light onto the ground, but with Jasmine's eyesight, she still could not see anything clearly.
Just as she was feeling disappointed, she vaguely heard a miserable screaming sound tearing through the night.
Had an animal fallen into a trap? Jasmine's heart beat thump-thump.
Jasmine stared into the thick darkness outside with burning eyes, trying to distinguish the shapes. Not knowing if it was psychological or not, she seemed to actually see flickering black shadows active around the main building, their eyes flashing in the night. It was just that at a place less than fifty meters from the main building, those black shadows did not dare to come any closer.
That screaming sound was like a starting signal; subsequently, in succession, miserable screams rang out from several directions where traps had been placed, sounding very blood-curdling.
Perhaps because too many small animals had fallen into the traps, provoking a portion of the hot-tempered ones in the herd, the furious roars of wild beasts were directed toward the main building. The murderous aura blew against her face, nearly scaring Jasmine into going limp in the legs and falling off the chair.
These small animals on the wilderness seemed to be much more ferocious and warlike than she had imagined.
The fortunate thing was that, despite being so angry, those animals did not try to rush into the main building. There seemed to be an invisible wall stopping them, which gave Jasmine yet another layer of understanding regarding the suppression of the Black Dragon's aura against animals.
Perhaps because deep down she was convinced there would be no danger, when the night grew late and the noise gradually subsided, Jasmine finally could not bear it anymore and went to bed to rest.
By the time she crawled up, the sky was already bright, and weak sunlight was shining into the room.
The old Butler was still standing at the door with his arms crossed, serving like a statue. As soon as he saw Jasmine push the door open and step out, he hurriedly bowed to perform a salutation:
"Wishing you a good day, respected Lord."
"Good morning, Butler William."
Because she was thinking about the effectiveness of the traps from last night, Jasmine did not even have time to wash her face or change into a tidy dress; carrying a head of hair as messy as a chicken coop, she intended to go out and check the spoils of war.
"Go, go, go, let's go see what prey we caught." Jasmine's voice was full of excitement and anticipation that could not be concealed, and her steps were also faster than usual.
Looking at this unkempt appearance of Jasmine, the old Butler opened his eyes slightly wide in astonishment, opening his mouth intending to say something.
This Countess had never failed to pay attention to her own image like this. Several times he wanted to speak but stopped, intending to advise Jasmine about noble demeanor, but before he could even open his mouth, Jasmine had already walked hurriedly down the stairs, leaving the old Butler only a view of her back drifting further away.
The slaves had already started working, and the familiar smell of cooking soy milk wafted from the kitchen.
Jasmine had not arrived yet, so the slaves did not dare to touch those traps on their own accord for fear of breaking them. Therefore, when Jasmine arrived beside the traps, the surroundings remained in their original state; on the ground, chaotic footprints and mottled bloodstains that were about to dry could be clearly seen.
But when Jasmine cheerfully leaned her head over to look into the first pit trap, she was stunned, and her smile was extinguished: "Where is the prey?"
The sharpened wooden stakes at the bottom of the trap showed signs of being crushed or shoved askew; on the sharp tips of a few stakes, there was even some dark dried blood and matted patches of fur and skin stuck to them. It was very clear that an animal had fallen in and been injured, but that animal was now missing without a trace, leaving only an empty pit.
Not only that, but Jasmine also went to check the other traps around the area one by one, and the situation was strangely identical. Even the snare traps, which were so sturdy, had a few ropes that had been bitten through directly. The breaks were jagged and uneven. Aside from a little scattered blood and fur proving that an animal had indeed fallen into the trap, there were no other traces of the prey.
The intention of using traps to catch prey that Jasmine had longed for, and the hope for a sumptuous meat meal, had clearly vanished into thin air.
"It must have escaped." The old Butler, who had followed her at some point, bent down to examine it carefully and then surmised: "Or perhaps it was dragged away and eaten by its own kind; such is the law of the jungle."