Withdrawal

They spent too much time underground, and it was already late at night when they climbed out. The remaining dragonborn lit a bonfire, and the bloodline in charge of night watch deliberately covered the flames to make them darker to prevent the light of the bonfire from attracting uninvited guests.

But with Nidhogg here, even if some monsters came over, they were all dealt with by a breath of dragon's breath. The bone dragon didn't need to sleep, and was the first to discover the returning team.

It immediately walked over stealthily, not wanting to disturb the resting dragonborns. Unfortunately, due to its size, the sharp bloodline immediately woke up from their light sleep and looked at its back.

The bone dragon was completely unaware of this, and was only thinking about its contractor. The [Holy Arms] not only gave it the possibility of survival, but also made it completely dependent on the red-haired young man.

As soon as Mason came out of the cave, he saw the bone dragon lying at the entrance. It had taken off its armor, leaving only the ejector and launcher at its throat. Its skeleton was as white as jade under the light of the fire, and its big head was facing him. As the fire of the soul beat, a feeling of attachment and love came from the other side of the connection, much like a big dog guarding the house.

He couldn't help but reach out and touch the bone dragon's head. The latter swung its tail happily, making holes in the ground. The dragonborn looked at each other helplessly. No matter how deep the filter was, they couldn't help but feel that this scene was a bit spineless.

But what else can they do? They should take care of their own young dragon. They watched the red-haired young man play with the young dragon for a while before walking towards the fire.

Nidhogg followed with satisfaction, but was suddenly stunned when he saw the dragonborns' shining eyes. "Why are you all awake?"

This innocent and stupid look was simply adorable, and it softened the hearts of these brave dragonborns who killed people without blinking an eye and dared to tear apart creatures from the Kingdom of God. The female dragonborns in the team showed great maternal love and took the initiative to play with the young dragons.

Even if they can't touch the baby dragon's head, what's wrong with being bigger? Who isn't a big baby?

The family was reunited here, and Mason poured the crystal he brought back on the ground, attracting the attention of the rest of the people.

The dragonborns quickly determined what it was and were all surprised: "Where did this come from? How could there be such a stable contaminated crystal?"

"This is the loot we received from the other side of the teleportation array. There is a strange forest there where the Black Mist followers have set up a simple base. We found these crystals and production equipment there."

Mason explained the situation in detail. Uncle Edward thought for a moment and said, "Aibo is right. Once these crystals are sold out, they will definitely be in short supply. But I don't recommend that you use these to strengthen the bloodline members of your family. It's more cost-effective to sell them."

Seeing that Mason was puzzled, he explained: "The advancement of the Bloodline is indeed closely related to the Black Mist. But there is a world of difference between the Bloodline who ascend between life and death and the Bloodline who ascend by means.

The former all had to go through dangerous situations to advance, so they are more mentally stable. The latter, although it is easier to advance, find it difficult to face high concentrations of pollution. "

"The wandering bloodline doesn't care about this. They live from day to day, and becoming stronger is their only goal. But as a family bloodline, even if the promotion is slower, stability is the most important."

This is like the children of wealthy families and street thugs. The former have no worries about food and clothing, so they naturally focus on the long term; the latter only have to make a living every day and can't care about too much.

Mason felt a little uneasy, but he couldn't tell why. It was rare that he didn't want to make this money. Seeing that he didn't like it, Uncle Edward didn't force him. This team of dragons was really charitable, and they all paid for the electricity. They didn't care about this little money at all.

That's true. If you open the map, you will see the endless gold mines in the east, one third of which belong to the Dragonborn. With this capital, even if you look at the entire plate, the Dragonborn can be called rich.

The experienced Dragonborn suggested: "You can use these pollution crystals to make pollutants. Although the ability is weak, it is good that it can be mass-produced."

This was a good suggestion, and Mason nodded in agreement. A group of people spent the night together by the fire. The next day, the red-haired young man was awakened by the night watchman. They were gathered around the hole that was dug yesterday, observing something.

The red-haired young man went over to take a look, and the dark hole in the ground had disappeared. The earth was like a wounded person, and no one could hear the sound of its wound healing.

The dragonborns discussed in low voices for a while, and Uncle Edward was a little worried: "We'd better leave here as soon as possible to avoid any accidents."

There was no point in staying here any longer, so the group set out to return. It took them several days to get back to Zhizhen through the fog and report the situation.

Because Garcia and the brain worm shared the contribution equally, the Luo family jumped to the first place. Before they could catch their breath at the first place, Dan came to the door of the red-haired young man.

The blond nobleman's face was rarely joyful. He looked exhausted. Mason's heart skipped a beat, and he could smell something wrong. Dan sat down at the table, picked up the cup and drank the water in big gulps. Finally, he wiped his mouth and said in a low voice, "The Owen family has withdrawn from this competition."

How is that possible?

Mason's first thought was disbelief.

The Owen family is ranked first among the twelve round tables, and its strength is obvious to all. Economically, it controls the eastern mines, and steel and magic metal are in short supply; militarily, it can be said that it is the only big family that can compete with the western family; in terms of policy, it is bold and sharp, and actively attacks. Decisive, arrogant, courageous, and ambitious.

How could they just withdraw from the Twelve Round Table Competition?

Dan smiled bitterly. "I didn't believe it at first. But now they have left Nail Town and handed the token to the Brainworm Family. The territory of the Garcia Alliance has doubled, and now many families have decided to join them."

Once they truly form an alliance, the first place in this competition will be decided. No one can resist the union of these families.

The red-haired young man thought for a moment and asked, "How is the Hart family now?"

"Not gone yet, but badly hurt. You mean..."

Dan guessed something. Mason nodded. "As long as there are allies, there will be different voices. There are many people who don't want Garcia to take the top position. That lady is a smart person. We can wait for her visit."

In the Hart family's nail shop, Shirley is dressing up.

The girl reflected in the mirror was cold and stunning. The maid carefully pinned pearl hair accessories on her. The beauty was so exquisite that the tiny dangling pearls could not match the girl's flawless skin.

"No wonder everyone praises you as Heart's Snowflake. How could anyone be willing to reject you?"

Listening to the maid's sincere praise, Shirleya felt like a fire was burning in her heart. She stared deeply at herself in the mirror - yes, she was so beautiful.

The Hart family's iconic silver hair and charming silver eyes. She is at the age of a flower and has countless suitors. Her parents love her so much that they are willing to let her participate in important competitions, but they arrange an extra "escort" for her.

If there is a problem, it is probably that her bloodline is not as good as her peers. No matter how hard she tries, she can only reach B level.

With a family, she can worry less about food and clothing, marry an excellent person of high bloodline, and continue to live a life of luxury. If women among the common people still have the right to choose their jobs and get married, then women of the nobility are no exception: if they have no strength, they will inevitably become tools for reproduction.

Her parents are very talented, which means that her bloodline is stable and she is the best marriage partner. But she doesn't want this - she has ambitions and wishes, she wants to stand at the top of power, bloodline is indeed very important and a means to fight pollution. But if she doesn't have high-quality bloodline, she can't stand at the top?

Ambition flashed in the girl's eyes. The expensive long skirt not only set off her beauty, but also tainted her armor and beauty. The maid tidied up her skirt and said softly, "Master Gene is waiting for you outside."

That was the person her father had assigned to accompany her. On the surface, he was a guard, but in reality, he was the highest administrator of the entire town. Fortunately, he was obedient enough and even had a quarrel with the administrators of other neutral families for her previous decision. Xue Liya looked outside the door: "Let him in."

A boy who looked like a black cat walked in from outside. He was about the same age as Shirleya, and his expression was cold, except when he looked at the girl with a hint of tenderness.

Xue Liya sighed inwardly and held out her hand to him: "Come on, Gene, let's go meet the Luo family. They should be waiting for us."

Gene took her in without breaking the rules: "The Luo family is not easy to get along with, please be careful."

"Thank you for your concern. I made you face the blame from others because of my poor decision. I will explain to my father later."

The boy's ears turned red. "...It's nothing. You did a great job. If it weren't for the sudden counterattack by Brainworm and Garcia, we would have won this time."

Xueliya sighed softly: "I hope we can succeed this time."

She risked everything and would never allow herself to fail again.

......

That afternoon, the Hart family came to visit as expected.

The girl standing at the door is a beautiful landscape. The silent guard stands beside her, looking around with round and bright eyes.

Dan took the opportunity to send a message to the room and excitedly reported: "The person who came with Shirleya is a very famous wandering bloodline. It is said that he fell in love with Shirleya at first sight and took the initiative to join the Hart family."

Mason glanced at him subtly: "Why do you only know how to gossip?"

Dan felt very aggrieved: "How could I not! The whole Partington knows about this! If you don't want to hear me tell you something else, she came here at the request of her father. If she can make achievements, she may have a place in the family in the future."

Mason chuckled, "I asked you to pick them up, not to check their love history. Do you know that it's not good to talk about them behind their backs? Go pick them up!"

Dan howled and ran out to meet the man. After entering the house, Xue Liya took the initiative to bow to the red-haired young man, making her position very clear: "Thank you for agreeing to meet, Mr. Oleus. I come with sincerity and hope to reach a cooperation with you."

"This is also the honor of the Luo family."

She represents not only the support of the Hart family, but also the support of the entire neutral family alliance. These families are unwilling to forcefully join the Garcia Alliance, and temporarily cooperating with the other party can preserve their interests.

The two parties sat at a small table and exchanged a few simple pleasantries. Mason then asked the question that concerned him the most: "Why did the Owen family suddenly withdraw from this competition?"

A trace of pain flashed across the other party's face: "We just thought it was an opportunity at the time, but we didn't expect it to be a conspiracy."