The Third Trial

Before going back, Mason found the monster team running over and handed them over to Flower Girl.

"Lead them into the black fog. If you encounter any monsters, clear them out or control them. Don't let others find you, especially the followers of the black fog."

The little flower girl sat on the head of a dog-like monster and listened to the instructions obediently. After she had memorized everything in her mind, she led the monster back the way she came.

She would be a secret chess piece that Mason had buried at the edge of the mist, waiting to help him when he came here later.

The dragon rider stood still, watching their figures disappear into the black mist, then turned around and climbed onto the dragon's back.

The thrusters lit up and the dragon flew high into the sky, heading towards the Luo family's town.

After destroying the Woman of Flowers, the third trial officially ended. Mason handed the relics to the people in Nail Town, who would bury them on his behalf.

Sally came to say goodbye to them on behalf of the Bletem family. Although only ten days had passed, the middle-aged man had more wrinkles on his face. Dan patted him on the shoulder and said, "I remember you were only in your early forties. You won't be an old man next time you come, right?"

Sally glanced at him and said, "Even if you become an old man, I won't get old. It's just that there are some family issues recently."

He seemed very busy, and left in a hurry after saying a few simple words. Dan looked at his back, and his frivolous expression faded a little.

"Something is wrong. It seems that the three major families in the west are not paying much attention to the trial this time."

Mason recalled: "The Brattom family is on our side, one is on the Garcia family's side, and the remaining one is neutral. They didn't do anything to attract attention this time."

"How strange! This trial is clearly a great opportunity for the three families."

Mason took this incident to heart, and the various anomalies cast a shadow on his return journey, but fortunately the result was encouraging.

On the third day after they returned to Partington, the Speaker of the House called everyone together and Mason once again stepped into the lobby of the central building. This time, the Speaker spoke on behalf of the Speaker of the House.

"I am glad to see that all the families have performed well in the third trial and guarded the tranquility of the border. Fighting the Black Mist is a long and endless road, and until today, we have never seen hope. The sacrifices made for this are honorable, and you will be rewarded."

The puppet floating in the air spoke in a ethereal voice, and the rankings of the third trial appeared beside it.

The names in the first row were unexpected. Mason frowned slightly and looked in the direction of the Garcia family.

He was not the only one, the rest of the people also looked over. The fourth family suddenly became the first this time, which was a huge stimulus to everyone.

"Some people may disagree with this, but the reason why the Garcia family became the first this time is very simple. They joined forces with the second family and found the location of the Qinglan Tree."

The nobles present were all shocked. Ai Bo was particularly humble: "It was just a coincidence. I just wanted to give it a try, but the brainworms gave me great help. With their help, I analyzed the source of the aura and finally determined the location of the [Green Mist Tree]."

Sevich stood at the front of the Brainworm Family, and the Bloodline members showed a rare trace of fatigue. Analyzing the source was obviously not an easy task for them.

The puppet said: "This is extremely valuable for us to understand SSS-level monsters and launch the Black Mist counterattack plan. Therefore, these two families will become the first and second place respectively."

Even Dan and Shaken had no objection to this result. Shaken muttered quietly, "Lucky guy."

Mason heard the name for the first time: "Black Mist Counterattack Plan?"

Dan whispered, "It's the same old story. Every year, a similar meeting is held to attack the Black Mist and take back the territory that belongs to humans. But since the last counterattack plan failed, the president of the council had to go deep into the Black Mist to rescue the Bloodline Army and was seriously injured. The association has not launched a second counterattack so far."

Even so, the value of understanding the situation in the black mist is still huge. The only SSS-level intelligence that humans have now is the [Queen of Insects]. Monsters of this level basically will not abandon their territory, so it can be useful even after a long time.

The Luo family ranked third, the Hart family fourth...all the way down, the names of the three major families in the West were ranked behind the twelve families, and even the two alien families belonging to the West were ranked higher than them.

The Owen family ranked fifteenth, which meant that four families that did not belong to the Twelve Round Tables had surpassed them in this trial. The representatives of these four families looked incredulous, and some could not believe the achievements of their own families.

Many people secretly looked towards the location of the Owen family. Ofili was not among the visitors. Unlike usual, the faces of the fiery bloodline people were grim, and they all seemed to be worried.

After all the rankings were announced, the puppets scattered the writing.

"Since the second trial has not yet ended, the final trial will be held in a month. Each family will send outstanding young people to the Bloodline Academy and enter its affiliated venue to complete this trial. There is no limit to the means. Everyone is equipped with a points chain. Those who walk out of the venue within three days will be ranked according to their points."

Many bloodline members' eyes lit up. No matter when, individual competition is the most popular event.

Amon looked excited: "Can I go with you, brother?"

Abbott replied softly, "No, this trial is too dangerous for you."

Eamon was very unwilling: "I want to go too, take me with you. What can go wrong with you around?"

"This is for your safety."

The two brothers didn't talk for long before Sevich took the initiative to walk towards Garcia's territory under the attention of many people. The Brainworm Family, which has always been neutral, seemed to want to carry out the alliance to the end this time, which was very inconsistent with their style.

However, this has nothing to do with Mason.

Each family has its own ideas, and the Twelve Round Table Trials are a place of fame and fortune. Shaken stayed behind to deal with the guests who came one after another, while the red-haired young man quietly withdrew from it and left the central building under the protection of Dan.

He left early and happened to meet other people who left first. It was very empty outside, and he easily saw the representatives of the three Western families get into the same carriage one after another. On the other side, the Owen family also left in a hurry.

"Something must have happened."

Mason thought to himself, and got on the carriage with Shaken and returned to the Luo family's residence.

In the next month, he no longer planned to let Oleus show up. The performance of the red-haired young man was already eye-catching enough. He was labeled as a member of the Luo family, which was a layer of protection and also a layer of restraint. But this was far from enough. The power of a family - even the power of a family of the Twelve Round Tables - was too small for Mason.

The Luo family, who had not seen their ancestor for a long time, came to welcome him back. The red-haired young man, who had not experienced such a feeling for a long time, was stunned.

It took him a lot of effort to calm these young people down, and he found an opportunity to return to the room alone and took out the "Book of Answers".

Before leaving Partington, Mason deliberately placed it in the treasure house of the Luo family to prevent it from being discovered. No one in the Luo family except the head of the family knew that he had chosen this seal. Ron repeatedly told him to keep it secret, at least not to let other families know too quickly.

Mason readily agreed and chose a top-secret storage location for it. A black hole appeared in front of him, and the red-haired young man threw the "Book of Answers" into it.

…

Thousands of kilometers away, in Xinzhen.

The profiteer stretched out his bandage and steadily caught the seal that fell from the black hole and placed it on the table.

The door of the Chamber of Commerce was closed, and there was no one there except him. It was just the right time to do something covert.

The black-robed merchant stood in front of the book, placed the bandage on the page, and thought to himself, "What on earth is the spherical device?"

The [Book of Answers] flipped through the pages, rustling and slowly stopping at a certain page, revealing lines of scarlet handwriting.

【The world will eventually return to darkness, and you and I will go together. 】

【Struggle is part of death, and death is part of struggle.】

【You are my brother and I am your sister. 】

【We return together! We return together! We return together! 】

These lines of words formed a strange ballad, which remained on the page for a few seconds before merging into a new line of text.

【Give me your heart.】

The profiteer's chest suddenly collapsed, as if something had disappeared. He stood there motionless, with only the sound of coins falling in his ears, which made his body slowly recover.

"I'm so sorry, my body is just a pile of flesh now, and I don't have any dirty heart."

His current body was similar to Canaan's, and could not be considered human at all. The pages of the Book of Answers trembled slightly, and it was forced to calm down because it had indeed taken away the other party's precious piece of flesh and completed the transaction.

The profiteer opened the [Book of Answers] and this time asked, "How do I use that broken pocket watch?"

This question caused the pages of the book to ooze out a large amount of blood, which continued to stain the ground red. If it had consciousness, it would probably curse the person in front of it for always giving it difficult questions. Amid the endless sound of turning pages, the last page finally showed distorted handwriting.

【The trajectory of destiny.】

The words flashed by, and the blood-red characters of all sizes covered the pages. They were just ordinary words, but they looked like people struggling, trying to break free from the pages. They banged against the pages like a criminal in a cage, and blood oozed out from the strokes, forming new words below.

【Give me your life! 】

【Give me your life! ! 】

The profiteer's body was cut right in half at the waist, his blood splattering on the ground in a scene that would put the most brutal murder scene to shame.

But soon, his body came together again. The black-robed merchant patted his chest, and the bloodstains disappeared like dust.

"Oh, you are really a bit dangerous."

The Book of Answers to [Life], which had taken away the book once, struggled for a moment with some reluctance, but finally put it back together, acknowledging that this time the price was valid. The cover inlaid with countless treasures was slightly cracked, and when staring at it, one could see many eyeballs blinking in the cracks.

If the people from the noble association were here, they would be dumbfounded. The birth of [out-of-control] pollutants requires the accumulation of pollution through use. The higher the level of questions asked, the more serious the pollution.

Before using the [Book of Answers], everyone must think about whether they can pay the price. The human beings in front of us have used four questions to reach the pollution accumulated by the Noble Association for hundreds of years. If you are a bloodline, you must be respectfully called a warrior.

After asking the two most important questions, the profiteer put away the book and threw it into his sleeve regardless of the other party's struggle. The seemingly ordinary black robe swallowed the seal easily. I have to admire that the storage space bought with ability is very useful, and there is no disadvantage except that it is expensive.

After solving the problem of pollutants, he cleaned the ground and opened the door of the Chamber of Commerce.

Bai stood silently in front of the door, preventing anyone from approaching without permission. He turned his head immediately when he heard the voice. His hair looked more like white snake scales, reflecting the textured light. He exuded an aura of "keep away from strangers", only when facing the profiteers, he was a little gentle.

After arriving in the new town, the boy who was once a test subject insisted on following the profiteer. He watched over the profiteer when he was selling goods and protected him when he went out. He followed him closely and was inseparable from him. In less than half a month, he successfully became the little tail of the businessman in the eyes of everyone.

The young man didn't care about other people's thoughts at all. Even Mason himself had to run into a wall when he came. His eyes were completely focused on the black-robed merchant.

They are all the same, why are they treated differently? Mason grumbled in his heart, but still acquiesced to Bai's actions.

Bai then became more and more upright. As soon as the profiteer left the house, he quickly followed him.

People on the road greeted the black-robed merchant constantly, and the profiteer responded with a smile. Bai, who followed behind him with a sullen face, did not stop until they arrived at the gate of Xinzhen.

The profiteer continued to move forward. Bai Gang wanted to follow him but was ordered to stop.

"I'm going to be out for a while. You stay at the Chamber of Commerce and watch over the door. If any guests come, remember to be friendly to them."

"...Can't I go with you?"

The boy stared at the other person without blinking, with a hint of reluctance and hidden panic in his tone. The experience in the laboratory brought him endless nightmares, making him extremely afraid of being abandoned.

"You're a good kid, but not this time."

The black-robed merchant stopped, turned to face him, and spoke the most deadly words in a gentle and soft tone.

"You're too weak - what can you do? You're not strong enough, and you're not smart enough. I don't need a weapon that goes on a rampage, and I don't need a useless piece of shit that gets in the way."

"I can!" The young man took a step forward, his emotions suddenly excited: "If you need me to kill someone, I will kill someone. If you need me to die, I will die. As long as you don't abandon me, I will do anything."

"I don't want you to kill for me, to die for me. Um...if I must say, I need an assistant."

The voice of the man and woman was friendly and beautiful, but anyone who had looked into the mask would know that the smile was just a disguise. The snow-white bandage stretched out and caressed the boy's cheek, as if he was picking out goods on the shelf. The eyes of the goods being picked were full of enthusiasm, and they wanted to take the initiative to sacrifice themselves for them. The two formed a strong sense of separation, making the black-robed merchant's every move seem mysterious and dangerous.

"I only guide the transaction and witness both parties selling everything they have. The beauty of the benefits is exciting and no one can resist the poison of gold and silver injected into the veins. My lovely, clumsy, pure child. If you want to follow in my footsteps, go and learn. Words will teach you the knowledge to distinguish between true and false, and people around you will tell you how to gain trust."

The black-robed merchant leaned close to his face, and his voice penetrated into the boy's ears like a poisonous snake.

"Once you gain the trust of the entire town, you will be qualified to follow me to see more beautiful scenery."

The words were full of temptation and made people feel excited. The boy's heart was pounding. His lips moved and he answered weakly, "Yes."

"My dear child, I am looking forward to what kind of surprises you will bring me."

The bandage that had slid across his face was retracted, and the profiteer touched his head as if rewarding him, and his figure quickly disappeared at the end of the road. The boy standing there watched him leave eagerly until a passing town resident noticed him.

Everyone in the new town knew that this bloodline was irritable and eccentric, and only listened to the words of profiteers. But seeing his eager look, the townspeople passing by hesitated for a while, and finally walked up to him and asked kindly: "What are you doing standing here?"

Bai Xia wanted to retreat, but when he thought of the profiteer's words, he stopped where he was. He stared at the other person for a while as if he were a powerful enemy.

After fusing with the Secret Pattern Snake, his hearing and vision were greatly weakened, and he mainly relied on the tentacles on the top of his head to receive information. This made Bai even more reluctant to come into contact with strangers.

Fortunately, the memory of these years of traveling has not faded, and he still remembers how to get along with others in a relatively normal way. Staring at the person in front of him with scarlet eyes, the boy suppressed his emotions and answered a little stiffly: "Nothing, is there anything I can do for you?"

The townspeople were stunned. They had never expected that the other party would say this at the very beginning. The seemingly cold-blooded Bloodline turned out to be a warm-hearted person, which was far beyond his imagination.

There wasn't much he needed to help with, but as a united and friendly new towner, he naturally had to respond to the bloodline's earnest expectations.

The townsman slapped his thigh and immediately pulled him into the town: "There are so many jobs out there. Don't worry, the jobs in our new town pay very well and we will definitely not let you down. I will take you to get your assignment now."

Bai stared at the other person holding his hand, and followed him without saying a word.

A few minutes later, the linen-haired young nobleman looked at the two people in front of him and listened to the townspeople's enthusiastic introduction of this bloodline who was taciturn but kind-hearted and particularly wanted to contribute to the construction of the new town.

The white-haired boy standing behind the other person was very quiet. Mason remained silent again and again, and finally showed a brilliant smile to Bai who was looking at Youyou.

"I do have a job that's suitable for you. Would you like to take a look?"

Because of the curse of the profiteer, he could only put on a cold coat for his words. But man proposes, God disposes, and the other party still came to him.

Mason flipped through the tasks in his hand helplessly, trying to find the part that suited Bai. As he was flipping through them, he suddenly had an idea and found the task that was most suitable for him.

"While Mr. Profiteer is away, the Chamber of Commerce needs a temporary trading manager. Do you want to give it a try?"

Chamber of Commerce...

Bai's eyes lit up and he nodded slightly.

On the other side, the lights in the Owen family were on. Many bloodline members were in a hurry, shuttling between different rooms. Among them, many medical bloodline members could be seen, communicating with each other with tired faces.

The head of the Owen family sat alone in the study, with a rare look of annoyance on her face. Suddenly, she looked towards the corner with a sharp look and said in a cold voice: "Who is there?!"

“Snap, snap, snap.”

The crisp applause came out before the figure appeared.