"Albert Family, this dark cloud lingering above our heads has finally dissipated."
When the news of Count Mills's assassination finally reached Ser Wilderness across a long distance and reached Red Iron Dragon's ears, he showed a satisfied smile.
This was not only the destruction of an enemy, but also the elimination of a potential hidden danger that could cause long-term troubles, which made him feel much more relaxed and at ease.
Frankly speaking.
Even if Count Mills later only sends his family's private army to seek revenge in the wilderness, Garos is still confident that his entire army will be wiped out, causing heavy losses to the Albert Family.
However.
For a count who lives in the hinterland of the Principality of Raymond in the south and enjoys aristocratic privileges and legal protection, Garos's power also feels somewhat beyond his reach.
He couldn't really fly all the way over Albert Family's territory and then slap the earl to death.
Such simple, crude and direct methods of Evil Dragon are not without precedent, but they basically never left the core area of human Federation alive.
Garos never thought that he could break out of the siege in that situation.
On the contrary, the unexpected arrival of Flower Knight Xia'er opened up another way of thinking and provided another possibility for Garos.
Obviously.
Count Mills overestimated his ability to control people, and seriously underestimated the independent will and action of Flower Knight Xia'er·Hines.
He firmly believed that this famous young warrior would be like the vast majority of adventurers who are dazzled by fame, fortune and favor. As long as he, the Earl, would be a little more persuasive and describe the great reputation and glory that could be obtained by slaying the evil dragon, the other party would be enthusiastic about it, rush into the wilderness without thinking, and become a sharp but brainless knife in his hand.
What a pity.
Although Flower Knight is young and inexperienced, he was indeed blinded by the count's hypocrisy and was instigated and exploited by carefully crafted lies.
But he himself is by no means a stupid and pedantic person, and he did not completely follow the script expected by Count Mills.
"However, I really didn't expect that Albert Family's secret methods are even darker than mine."
"I'm afraid they want to screen out those children with talents, so that they will regard the family as their only belonging and belief from the bottom of their hearts, and devote everything without reservation. Therefore, after selecting a suitable target, they personally plan an accident, artificially create orphans, and then appear as a savior for adoption and brainwashing."
"In comparison--"
Red Iron Dragon grinned with a mouth full of sharp teeth. "--From my worldly perspective, Evil Dragon seems to be too upright and can be called kind."
Some nobles do hide unimaginable evil and nastiness under their gorgeous and decent robes.
It's no wonder that the first lesson many Paladins learn after entering society is that they are often strictly prohibited from using spells such as Detect Evil at will. They call this a serious violation of personal privacy and violates the basic principles of Paladin.
Now that I think about it, the meaning is thought-provoking.
But no matter what, the Albert Family crisis has probably come to an end.
Those Rune Knight Rod, Alchemist Sienna and others who once valued their family above all else and were willing to sacrifice their lives for it, after learning the cruel truth of their tragic life experiences, how fervently they used to support Albert, now they will have an unforgettable desire to completely tear it to pieces and burn it to pieces.
Predictable.
Albert Family, which has lost its backbone and is facing internal collapse, will soon fall into a situation where it is too busy to take care of itself, and will no longer be able to take care of Ser Wilderness's affairs.
"Xia'er, come back."
"There is a new task for you to complete."
Garos contacted Flower Knight who was outside through Communication Stone.
At this moment, Xia'er·Hines is on the run.
Although when he assassinated Count Mills, he used the skills of Boundary Walker Pathway to seal off the space on site, and his actions were clean and neat, leaving no trace of himself.
But.
In a supernatural world where magical power is everywhere, as long as the powerful are determined to pursue the case at any cost, they can still find a target even if no substantial clues are left at the scene.
After all, Albert Family is an influential earl family in Raymond Duchy.
The head of the family was attacked and killed in the manor. This incident caused quite a shock in the aristocratic circle and made people panic.
The top management ordered that the murderer must be investigated strictly, so they spared no expense to hire the powerful prophecy system Spellcaster to track it, and finally locked the target on the famous Flower Knight.
During the subsequent investigation, the shady activities of the Albert Family gradually came to light.
However.
In order to maintain the dignity and reputation of the entire aristocratic class, other people in power chose to cover up and block the news, simply defining the incident as a vendetta, and randomly fabricating a reason to launch a nationwide wanted manhunt for Flower Knight.
Fortunately, Xia'er has studied two major career paths, Arcane Knight Pathway and Boundary Walker Pathway, and has considerable experience in spatial movement and anti-tracking.
Although he encountered several thrilling blockades along the way, he was able to resolve them all in the end without any danger, and he got closer and closer to the wilderness.
The flow of time seems both long and fast during the escape.
Finally, one early morning, Flower Knight, who was dusty but with more determined eyes, crossed the final boundary and reappeared on the desolate and familiar horizon of Ser Wilderness.
Finally, he stopped at Creekwood Town.
Green Dragon Ludwig followed the instructions above and formally handed over the responsibility for managing this increasingly prosperous wilderness town to Xia'er·Hines.
In the overall planning of the Molten Iron Tribe, this small town on the wilderness border will be further expanded and developed in the future.
Because the main group it targets is intelligent creatures like humans, there is a natural sense of isolation and distance between humans and dragons.
Therefore, it is undoubtedly the most ideal choice for a powerful, upright and deeply trusted human lord, as the spokesperson of the dragon's will, to be responsible for maintaining the daily order of the town and communicating and executing policies.
No matter in terms of strength, reputation or current situation, Flower Knight is the most suitable candidate.
After this.
As the news spread that Molten Iron Tribe obtained Scale-Earth Rift Road's right of way legally instead of brutally snatching it.
In addition, Molten Iron Tribe continues to eliminate violent Beast and dangerous monsters in the surrounding areas, and strictly prohibits any form of robbery and extortion. The reputation of safety and order here has attracted more and more people.
The number of caravans traveling through the Rift has increased significantly.
The number of adventurers, mercenary groups, and traders who choose to rest, replenish, or even stay in Creekwood Town for a long time has ushered in a wave of continuous growth.
What's even more remarkable is that it even attracted Metal Dragon, who is known for his kindness and order.
A young man Gold Dragon visited Creekwood Town. He was full of praise for the local order, and publicly stated that Molten Iron Tribe did not belong to the evil camp as rumored by the outside world.
The head of Metal Dragon is the powerful, noble Gold Dragon, which symbolizes order and kindness.
To most humans, this is a creature that almost only exists in legends.
His visit and endorsement brought huge positive reputation to Creekwood Town and Molten Iron Tribe. Many adventurers came from far away just to see the true face of Gold Dragon.
And Gold Dragon seems to enjoy this kind of attention.
He would often land gracefully on a whim in the central square of Creekwood Town, or pace leisurely on the newly paved streets, satisfying people's curiosity and bringing immeasurable positive prestige to the town.
Wherever there are people, there will inevitably be disputes, but what follows is the flow and accumulation of wealth.
The days flowed by in a mixture of hustle and bustle.
Scale-Earth Rift Road's cars and horses are flowing more and more continuously, Creekwood Town's scale is quietly expanding, and its facilities are constantly improving, showing a unique prosperity that grows wildly but is orderly.
In addition, Molten Iron Tribe did not take advantage of the situation to expand its territory.
On the contrary, the tribe chose a more prudent strategy, shrinking its strength, cultivating the core area deeply, and concentrated a large amount of resources and strength on the management and defense strengthening of Scale-Earth Rift Road and Creekwood Town, making this place impregnable.
Among Ser Wilderness, which is known for chaos, danger and predatory behavior.
This territory under the rule of the Molten Iron Tribe actually presents a rare and precious peaceful scene, as if the years have passed quietly.
However, many knowledgeable people understand that this tranquility is likely to be just a short gap before the storm.
As time goes by, the situation within human Federation is accelerating turmoil and deterioration.
After the initial war started between Aber Duchy and Haltai Duchy, several principalities broke out one after another and declared war on each other.
What's even more dangerous is...
This melee did not stay at the level of each other, but quickly evolved into a confrontation between the two camps with Aber Duchy and Haltai Duchy as the core.
The war began to spread and burn wantonly along the long border between the principalities, showing the potential of a prairie fire.
And while other principalities are busy attacking each other, plundering the rear, and destroying each other's war potential, Molten Iron Tribe, who is in the wilderness, is also quietly participating in it in his own way.
Including but not limited to:
Attack the Aber Duchy side's logistical supply lines, attack and harass their resource bases on the edge of Ser Wilderness, etc.
Although these actions are not fatal, they continue to consume the war potential of the Abel camp and increase the pressure on its front lines.
As time goes by, the clouds of war continue to pile up and roll over the southern land, brewing greater destruction.
Finally, the ruthless footsteps of time entered the year New Calendar 258.
At this time, Molten Iron Tribe's rule over Scale-Earth Rift Road was as deep as a rock, the territory was in order, and the strength was steadily increasing.
Garos briefly left the noisy wilderness and returned to Borderlands.
At this moment.
He was standing quietly on the edge of Burning Steel Fortress's terrace, reflecting the scene in the valley in his eyes.
White Dragon Tressie is training a newly added white Hatchling Dragon there.
That little guy was accidentally discovered by Kobold scout of the tribe in Northern Icefield a few months ago.
When it was discovered, it was baring its fangs and fighting with an equally hungry old Tundra Wolf over half a piece of the frozen, hard beast carcass.
After bringing back Borderlands.
The other dragons all showed unanimous indifference and disgust towards this ignorant, noisy and weak Hatchling Dragon cub like Beast.
Only White Dragon Tressie showed great enthusiasm.
She paid less attention to several other dragonets that were growing up and steadily improving their ecological niche, and instead devoted more energy to this ignorant white Hatchling Dragon.