Chapter 58: Capture the Swift Gray Rabbits!

“Master, you summoned me? What are your orders?”

Pik arrived in the parlor, knelt reverently on the ground, then cautiously asked.

Others who became slaves often carried some resentment and required long-term training.

But Pik did not—he was deeply grateful that Master Gervas had given him and his family a chance to live on and redeem themselves.

“Pik, I’ve received intelligence that a batch of first-rank Swift Gray Rabbits will arrive today to forage in the southwest pastures of Stormhold. Do you know them?”

“Swift Gray Rabbits? Master, they are extremely cautious creatures—though they have no offensive ability, they possess keen perception and agile bodies.”

“Unless you set up specialized traps in advance, it’s unlikely you can capture them. But if you know their arrival time and prepare the traps ahead, your chances improve significantly!” Pik replied seriously.

“So, they can be caught?”

“Master, if we know their arrival in advance, I have an eighty percent chance of capturing them!”

Pik was meticulous—not out of fear of punishment, but because he feared promising more than he could deliver and betraying his master’s trust.

“Eighty percent is already excellent! Take some men and come with me at once!”

Unlike the Fire Steeds, these nimble rabbits are small and fast—hard to catch once they run.

So Gervas’s expectations were low: if we can catch seven or eight out of a dozen, that’s enough.

Soon, Gervas arrived at the same pasture where they had previously captured Fire Steeds.

The Night-Fragrant Grass left over from last time still grew there, lush and thriving.

“Master, this is Night-Fragrant Grass—one of the Swift Gray Rabbits’ favorite foods. If they come here to forage, they will surely step here!”

Gervas nodded. “You’re professionals in hunting and setting traps—so you handle the setup. I won’t interfere.”

Pik and the hunter-slaves paused. Even noble lords had never been so gentle. Emotion welled in their eyes. “Yes, Master!”

Soon, over a dozen hunters began setting up the traps.

First, they smeared mud and horse dung on their bodies and feet, then strung fine ropes and branches among the Night-Fragrant Grass to lay nooses.

When finished, they brought out several rabbits they had prepared in advance.

According to Pik, these rabbits were crucial to capturing the Swift Gray Rabbits.

Leaving them near the traps would lull the Swift Rabbits into lowering their guard and entering willingly.

Of course, the rabbits must remain natural—no ropes or bindings, or the clever Swift Gray Rabbits would spot the trick and avoid it entirely.

But if left unbound, these rabbits might be drawn by the Night-Fragrant Grass and accidentally destroy the carefully laid traps.

That’s when a plant called Dazegrass came into play.

Feed the Dazegrass to the rabbits beforehand, and they’ll remain dazed and motionless for two or three hours.

This Dazegrass was something the village chief’s father had learned while serving as head of the hunting squad under the Earl—part of the noble house’s hidden knowledge.

Once all preparations were complete, they waited for the Swift Gray Rabbits to arrive.

The intelligence was flawless. Less than half an hour passed before over twenty gray shadows crept cautiously to the edge of the pasture.

Even Gervas, with his Knight’s enhanced senses, had only just noticed them—yet Pik whispered, “Master, the Swift Gray Rabbits have arrived!”

Pik’s hunting talent was truly exceptional.

It also suggested their traps were likely highly effective.

Indeed, once the twenty-plus Swift Gray Rabbits entered the pasture, they followed the scent straight to the Night-Fragrant Grass.

At first, they remained highly alert—but when they saw three or four rabbits calmly foraging nearby, they immediately began to approach.

They sniffed the rabbits, then sniffed the surrounding area.

Finding no sign of danger, the Swift Gray Rabbits finally let down their guard and rushed toward the dense patch of Night-Fragrant Grass.

Crunching sounds echoed continuously—even though many of them had already stepped into the nooses.

But the thick leaves of the Night-Fragrant Grass concealed the ropes, and since the nooses weren’t yet taut, the rabbits didn’t realize they were trapped.

Soon after all the Swift Rabbits had entered the pasture, a few moved to change foraging spots—and pulled the fine ropes!

Squeak-squeak-squeak!

The trapped rabbits struggled violently, startling the others into panicked flight!

Instantly, over twenty Swift Gray Rabbits erupted like a boiling pot, squealing and thrashing wildly.

“Pull the ropes!”

This cautious Pik had set up a second safeguard.

At his shout, four hunters yanked the ground-level ropes—whirr!—a net buried just beneath the soil sprang up and smothered the majority of the Swift Gray Rabbits!

Once done, the hunters surged forward.

No surprises followed: the promised eighty percent success rate became one hundred percent—all the Swift Gray Rabbits were caught and stuffed into cages.

“Master, twenty-three Swift Gray Rabbits—all captured and placed in wooden cages!”

“Excellent. You’ve done well. Today, each of you gets one pound of smoked meat and a loaf of black bread!”

“Thank you, Master’s mercy!”

The hunters erupted in excitement.

After bringing the Swift Rabbits back, Gervas did not kill them all.

He kept two strong males, one pregnant female, and several young ones.

With so few archers, killing half was enough. The rest could be tamed—ensuring a steady supply of Swift Gray Rabbit pelts in the future.

Of course, the Night-Fragrant Grass’s role couldn’t be ignored—it had now lured a second high-value herd to him.

So Gervas ordered Old John to assign a dedicated person to water the Night-Fragrant Grass daily with water from Swan Lake.

With the Swift Gray Rabbits and Night-Fragrant Grass settled, Gervas’s next tasks were the Golden Dragon Egg and the Stranded Ghost Ship.

“My lord, Knight Migen says you wished to speak with me!”

Thomas arrived in haste, sweat drenching his brow—he hadn’t stopped for a moment, guarding against bandits.

“Thomas, don’t stress over the bandits. As long as the wooden wall holds, they can’t touch us.”

“Yes, my lord, thank you for your concern!”

Thomas replied aloud, but inwardly he remained determined to protect Maplefield Town with all his strength.

Master Gervas had brought hope to Stormhold. Thomas and the others would not allow anyone to destroy that hope.

Any effort, no matter how great, was worth it.

Gervas was unaware of his subordinate’s thoughts—he now turned to the matter at hand.

“Carpenters and oars? My lord, there’s one carpenter in the village, but I don’t know of any shipwrights. Stormhold is too remote. But I can ask in Seashore Village!”

“If there’s a shipwright, only Seashore Village could have one.”

Gervas nodded. “Thomas, first gather that carpenter and a hundred farm slaves in the village. We’re heading to the southeast coast—on the way, stop at Seashore Village and inquire.”

“Yes, my lord!”

More than ten minutes later, the team was assembled. Gervas led them toward the southeast coast.