The pressure from the assassination of the dragon incident was quickly dispelled amidst the yful banter between father and son.


    Levis was no longer tense, Liszt appeared more rxed, and the Earl even felt in the mood to pour each of his sons a ss of Crescent Moon Wine.


    Then the three of them analyzed the impact of the assassination of the dragon as if they were looking down from God''s perspective.


    The analysis was quite straightforward.


    Assuming the dragon-ying incident was real and had already urred, there would be three oues—the Sapphire Dragon killed by the Marquis of Bull, leading to the copse of the state, with Coral Ind needing to seek a new direction; the Marquis of Bull''s rebellion crushed and the Sapphire Dragon unharmed, where Coral Ind just needed to await orders from the Grand Duke.


    There was also anotherpromise situation—the Marquis of Bull''s assassination attempt failed but the Sapphire Dragon was injured. In such a case, the Duchy of Sapphire wouldn''t copse immediately, but it was certain that various forces from within and without would be surging; figuring out the right course of action for Coral Ind within this tumult would be vexing.


    Now, they discussed each scenario separately.


    "If the dragon is killed, we must abandon the Sapphire Family without hesitation! Perhaps rallying around the Marquis of Bull would be the correct choice if he can be a Lich," Levis stated his thoughts regarding the first scenario. As for humans turning to Liches, that was unimportant.


    Yet the Earl was shaking his head, "Liszt, what do you think?"


    "I''m not optimistic about the Marquis of Bull bing a Lich. Immortality without power is just courting death. Those kings and grand dukes certainly won''t mind riding dragons to capture him, treating him as an excellent experimental material... If he really bes a Lich, he would definitely hide and barely cling to life."


    From the moment the Marquis of Bull staked everything on assassinating the dragon, he was out of the game in the Duchy of Sapphire.


    Liszt continued, "The eventual fragmentation of the Duchy of Sapphire is inevitable; the question is who will take over these inds—Steel Ridge Kingdom, Eagle Kingdom, or perhaps both sides will have concerns and leave this ce in chaos. Without the dragon''s protection, pirates will certainly run rampant."


    The dragon represented the pinnacle of power and order as well.


    Without the dragon, people''s ambitions would probably swell far beyond expectations.


    Levis asked, "Are you suggesting that we choose a Kingdom to pledge allegiance to?"


    "Yes, I''m leaning towards the Steel Ridge Kingdom, since it is our suzerain Kingdom after all."


    "The marquises will be more popr. We are just an earl''s family; if we switch sides, we might be demoted to viscounts. Even if we retain our earldom, it will cost a great deal of wealth."


    "The inds need us to maintain them; the Kingdom won''t be too excessive. Perhaps we will have to pay ten to twenty percent of taxes as protection money, but overall, it''s worth it to avert a crisis, especially since we''ve lost the dragon''s protection."


    The Earl nodded, "Your analysis makes some sense, but you''ve overlooked one point—even without the Sapphire Dragon, the Sapphire Family still holds immense wealth. They can use this wealth to trade with any country for protection. In the future, the Sapphire Family might well be a marquis family for some Kingdom."


    He looked at his two sons, "And we can continue to follow the Grand Duke. Support in difficult times often means loyalty, and a loyal noble will be appreciated by mostndlords; that would be the time to choose a better liege."


    Levis and Liszt were eager to change allegiances at the earliest opportunity.


    The Earl, however, hoped to spruce up appearances first, then hold out for a better offer.


    "We need to unite. If the nobility of the Duchy of Sapphire are scattered, they will be easily manipted," Liszt added. "Red Crab Ind would be the best ally, and Golden Ind can also be brought into the fold. We may be somewhat poor as ind nobles, but governing the inds necessitates our involvement."


    ...


    The discussionsted the entire day.


    By evening, they had settled on a basic framework—to pretend ignorance on the surface while secretly sharpening their weapons, preparing to send out troops, protect themselves, or escape at a moment''s notice.


    Meanwhile, the Earl sent out his men to closely gather intelligence.


    Logically, by this time, news would be in transit and they would soon know how to choose their response.


    "After returning, quickly integrate your Knight Squad; this crisis is also an opportunity. Since you''ve chosen to strive for glory, the battlefield is the most suitable way," the Earl said with deep meaning. "I''ve neglected you before, but now I hope that we, father and son, can fight side by side."


    Liszt bowed solemnly, "I await the moment at all times."


    The Earl didn''t know what to say next, only patting Liszt''s shoulder heavily, "If your mother saw you today, she would be proud of you."


    "Thank you."


    "Go and rest well, there''s nothing to be nervous about. Nobles have their own ways of survival and won''t be greatly disturbed by the life or death of a single dragon. The strength we hold in our own hands is the foundation for standing in this world. Grip your spear tightly and fear no difficulty!"


    "I will heed your teachings."


    ...


    Returning from Tulip Castle to Fresh Flower Town.


    Although Liszt had temporarily put aside the dragon ying affair, he did not rx his efforts.


    Despite his limited strength, he still needed to prepare for emergencies, so he immediately informed the six Earth Knights, "I hope toplete the Knight Squad''s integration as soon as possible, and you six can start making your own choices now."


    "We are ready to charge for you, my Lord!"


    Without any hesitation, the six immediately chose to follow him.


    Thus, the Knight Squad of Fresh Flower Town was officially formed.


    Liszt had a private conversation with Marcus, "Teacher Marcus, please start the actualbat training as soon as possible. Perhaps very soon, we will be heading to the battlefield."


    "Is the Pioneer Mandate going to be issued earlier this year, my Lord?"


    "Perhaps."


    Marcus''s eyes lit up, "I understand!"


    Afterpleting the Knight following phase, the Smoke Mission was also deemedplete. When he returned to the study, which was recently stocked with a new batch of Knight novels, he summoned the Smoke Mission.


    "Missionplete, reward Dou Qi Secret Technique ''Breath Decay''."


    "Breath Decay?" Liszt harbored a doubt, leaning towards it being an effect simr to the concealment of one''s own aura. He felt that this Dou Qi Secret Technique was hidden amidst the batch of Knight novels he had recently acquired.


    However, he wasn''t in a hurry to search for it, preferring to wait for the release of a new mission.


    "Mission: The serf girl Emily, who follows the training of the girls'' group, is always clumsy and never learns the embroidery lessons well, often receiving punishment from the embroidery teacher. Therefore, she prefers Knight sses that help her gain confidence. She is even able to cultivate Dou Qi faster than the boys. Please arrange her training reasonably. Reward: Douson''s new magic."


    "I''m about to learn Douson''s third kind of magic?" Liszt received the good news, and with the impending battle, Douson would be his greatest helper.


    With the acquisition of new magic, Douson''sbat power was set to increase further.


    The only pity was that the Eight Tiny Ones were still young and slow at learning magic, hardly resembling Intermediate Magical Beasts. Douson at the same stage had already learned Rock Spike through explosive mouth skills under Liszt''s guidance—It seemed the Eight Tiny Ones needed more intensive coaching.


    His thoughts fleeting, he called for Servant Thomas, "Go to the administration and get a file on a girl from the female training group named Emily. Also, inquire about her life and study situation and report back to me in detail."


    "Yes, master."


    Thomas went on his way.


    Only then did Liszt take a new book from the shelf, opening the covers one by one, beginning his search for his new Dou Qi Secret Technique "Breath Decay".