Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 305: [Art of Manipulation], Post-Event Accounting

After finishing the communication with the Lord of Molten Iron, Count Mills suddenly pushed open the oak window.

Blinding afternoon sunlight poured into the study, making him instinctively squint.

He took several deep breaths of air scented with the roses from his garden, his chest rising and falling as he tried to dispel the agitation and humiliation left by the negotiation.

Gradually, his mood settled, and his usual composure returned.

"Perhaps... I should ransom Shire back."

As his temper calmed and he replayed the humiliating negotiation with the evil dragon in his mind, a wave of regret washed over him.

Count Mills realized the decision he made at the last moment had been driven by emotion and lacked rationality.

The Flower Knight had indeed been reduced to a cripple, stripped of his former value.

But given the Albert family's abundant resources, caring for one crippled person was hardly a burden.

More importantly,this act could serve as an excellent example to show all other adventurers — see? Serve the Albert family, and even if you end up crippled and tragic, the family will still mercifully take responsibility to the end, never abandoning you.

If such a reputation spread, the Albert family would reap more gratitude and devotion from adventurers, making those naïve, hot-blooded fools even more willing to die for the family.

Putting aside so-called old feelings and morality, purely from the family's interest perspective, ransoming Shire clearly was the better option.

Only...

during the long, grueling negotiation with that greedy, crafty, and outrageously petty red iron dragon,

after being repeatedly forced to endure the humiliation of having his family's failures emphasized, of being compelled to yield trade routes and to pay astronomical compensation,

Count Mills's patience was worn down bit by bit, his accumulated irritation like scalding magma continually battering the dam of his reason.

In the end,

the accumulated negative emotions completely overwhelmed calm thought, driving him to make a decision that lacked deep consideration and only vented a momentary emotional flare.

Of course, that decision was not without a sliver of consolation.

Giving up Shire at least prevented that detestable dragon from squeezing another gold coin out of him!

Thinking of the disappointment or anger that might cross the dragon's face, Count Mills felt a twinge of satisfaction, and his mood lightened slightly.

"Should I contact that dragon again, reopen negotiations, and ransom Shire back?"

He hesitated, eyes dropping to the crystal communication device that had just gone quiet on the desk.

But after only a few seconds of thought, he shook his head slightly and abandoned the idea.

"Never mind. After all, he isn't someone crucial to the grand scheme."

"Ransoming him would only add a bit of luster to the family's reputation at best. Besides, if I change my mind now and reopen talks, that sly dragon would surely seize the chance to extort us again."

Noble pride and dignity also prevented Count Mills from easily reversing himself and appearing weak before an enemy.

Count Mills limped slowly across the study, its floor covered with a thick carpet.

The remnant annoyance in his eyes gradually hardened into a cold sharpness.

Having suffered such a huge loss and brought unprecedented shame and damage to the family, Mills Albert would never let the matter rest peacefully.

Otherwise,

the Albert family's face would be utterly ruined among the nobility, reduced to a laughingstock.

"The immediate priority is to ensure the trade with the Molten Iron Tribe proceeds smoothly, to steady them, and to first bring Rod, Sienna, and those core members back safely."

"As long as the pillars of the family remain, the foundation is not shaken."

Once calm, Count Mills's thinking became clear.

"After that... then will come the true reckoning."

Why insist on fighting to the death with the Molten Iron Tribe entrenched deep in the wilderness with terrain advantage?

The reasons were simple.

First, noble face is worth more than gold.

Either swallow the humiliation and continue to endure the endless ridicule and attacks from other nobles,

or fight with everything, crush them, wash away the shame with the enemy's blood, and restore the family's prestige.

Second, the more practical reason.

The Albert family had already invested vast resources into this affair; the sunk cost was enormous.

Only by completely subduing those dragons — living or dead — could the dragons themselves and their followers yield priceless value, enough to make up for all previous losses and possibly even gain more.

On the other side, in the Ser Wilderness.

"The evil dragon successfully turned a righteous knight, while the duplicitous noble exposed for his hypocrisy will ultimately die by the very sword he once fooled."

"Such a story is far more interesting than the tired old trope of the hero fighting an evil dragon."

Garoth's eyes glittered with pleasure as he murmured silently.

He even considered, with some amusement, whether he should create a separate chapter in his Dragon Legacy memory dedicated to this method — an 'Art of Manipulation' entry.

Often, the first sentence in a conversation, or even the posture before the other party speaks, is enough to reveal a person's character.

Count Mills was undoubtedly an extremely calm, calculating opponent.

From the catastrophic defeat of his forces to being forced to face a powerful enemy and endure humiliating negotiations, he consistently suppressed his emotions, maintained rational bargaining, showed no useless threats of anger, no uncontrolled roars of fury... such steadiness was not common among nobles.

Because of that,

in this negotiation, Garoth abandoned his usual straightforward manner.

He chose the most lengthy, most exasperating approach: haggling over every single gold coin, repeatedly emphasizing the Albert family's failures and impotence, like a blunt knife cutting flesh, constantly shredding Count Mills's patience, provoking irritation until Mills lost his customary calm judgment.

In the end, events unfolded exactly as Garoth had wished.

Count Mills would pay a far more painful price for the momentary loss of composure at the bargaining table than he could have imagined.

When brute force could not directly solve the problem, Garoth often displayed intelligence that sharply contrasted with his enormous body and ferocious appearance.

Who would have thought

this formidable red iron dragon, savage to the extreme as if incarnating fury and destruction, could be so adept at manipulating people's hearts?

"Disguise cruelty as mercy, use benevolence as the façade for deception."

"Such methods are deadlier and harder to guard against than the sharpest blade or the hottest dragon breath."

"I have seen through the false mask of Count Mills — greedy, hypocritical, treating life like straw. He is a devil in human skin and deserves to die!"

The Flower Knight Shire, once radiant and cold, now showed signs of darkening.

Abandoned and betrayed without mercy by those he once respected, trusted, and would have fought for, past favors were now all null and void.

At this moment, his heart held only resolution: to unmask the count's hypocrisy and enact true justice with the sword in his hand.

"No need to rush. The sword of vengeance must wait for the most appropriate moment to be drawn."

Garoth soothed the murderous intent surging within the knight.

He instructed the Flower Knight to keep calm and remain in Ximu Town to recuperate.

Only after the trade with the Albert family was completely finalized, and the Molten Iron Tribe had received the trade route and all the ransom, would the final reckoning begin.

On this point, Garoth and Count Mills surprisingly shared the same thought.

Trade and reckoning were separate matters.

The difference lay in timing and leverage.

No matter how Count Mills later wanted to retaliate against Garoth, given the dragon's terrifying power and the natural defenses of the Ser Wilderness, it would be difficult in the short term.

However,

when a Boundary Walker who masters the way of space harbors murderous intent, defenses become mere illusions.

An indulgent, aging count would have little room to resist against a knight's blade.

Next,

the Flower Knight Shire Hynes remained in Ximu Town, quietly healing body and spirit under the care of Molten Iron followers.

Garoth returned to the depths of Needleleaf Valley to continue his daily, relentless training and refinement.

Time flowed silently like the ever-present wind above the Ser Wilderness, and soon more than a month had slipped by.

As promised, emissaries of the Albert family entered the borders of the Ser Wilderness and arrived at Ximu Town.

They brought formally certified legal transfer documents stamped with the Albert family seal and authenticated by the Federation's notary office, as well as a magically reinforced chest laden with the enormous war reparations and ransom.

Under the solemn witness of a white-robed priest from the Scales Sanctuary and watched by many curious Ximu Town residents, representatives of the Albert family and the Molten Iron Tribe completed the signing of the contract in the town square and handed over the prisoners and ransom.

The entire process passed without incident or complication.

It is worth mentioning that the Scales Sanctuary is a transcendent organization spanning many kingdoms and even present within vast empires.

They worship a god who presides over fairness and justice.

A contract signed under the personal witnessing of a high-ranking priest from the Scales Sanctuary carries sacred binding power far greater than ordinary magical contracts; anyone daring to violate such an oath would face extremely severe and terrifying punishment under divine scrutiny.

After successfully ransoming back all the prisoners,

the Albert family's personnel remained on high alert throughout, exiting the Ser Wilderness boundaries cautiously.

To their surprise, the return trip was unusually smooth as well.

Only a few brazen wild beasts and low-tier magical creatures launched sporadic attacks, but the guards easily slew them.

Days passed as they marched, each one tense.

At last the group reached the relatively safer southern lands without tragedy.

Afterward, escorted by a reception team sent by the family and traveling further, core figures such as Runic Knight Rod, alchemist Sienna, and protective mage Sanchez were brought back into the heavily guarded depths of the Albert family estate.

In the estate's innermost study, they once again met Count Mills.

"Your Grace."

Rod, famed as the Albert family's Dire Wolf, now knelt on one knee with head bowed low, his face showing a remorseful and agonized expression like a faithful hound.

"We failed to complete the mission you entrusted to us and instead brought the family immense shame and incalculable loss."

"We... let you down."

Behind him, Sienna and Sanchez also lowered their proud heads.

"Stand, all of you, stand up!"

Count Mills strode forward, personally bending to help Rod to his feet and gently brushing the wilderness dust from his shoulders.

A warm smile like spring sunlight spread across his face, and his eyes were filled with genuine pity and comfort.

"This is not your fault."

The count said, "I severely underestimated the Molten Iron Tribe and the true power hiding within that red iron dragon. It was my error in judgment that put you in danger and made you suffer so much."

He looked around at these scarred but loyal subordinates with warmth.

"You have suffered."

"Now, your urgent task is to return to your rooms, rest, and recover."

Count Mills spoke earnestly: "Do not indulge in useless self-blame, and do not think about revenging to clear the shame right now."

"Remember, only by recovering your health and strength as quickly as possible can you serve the family better in the days to come!"

"The family's future still needs you!"

More than half an hour later,

having finally calmed and reassured these core survivors, Count Mills, slightly fatigued, returned to his study.

He closed the heavy carved wooden door behind him, shutting out the outside clamor.

Taking a long breath as if expelling all the foul air from his chest, he exhaled, then wearily half-reclined in the soft high-backed chair and raised his fingers to rub his throbbing temples.

"The Molten Iron Tribe, those damned dragons."

He gazed at the complex gilded decorations on the ceiling and muttered softly.

"They are entrenched deep in the Ser Wilderness, holding absolute terrain advantage. If we send another large army to attack them again, the result will likely be the same."

Count Mills furrowed his brow and sank into deep thought.

"With the forces the Albert family can currently mobilize, fully eliminating the Molten Iron Tribe as a core threat is extremely difficult."

"Has it come to the point where I must call in the precious favors our marquis ancestor accumulated for the family?"

Thinking of this, Count Mills felt a prickly agitation of trouble.