The probability of Halran Gaia collapsing due to the mana disintegration of the Dimensional Hole was very small, not much higher than a person being struck by lightning under a cloudless sky. Moreover, Halran Gaia was a true divine artifact, and it would never be destroyed. At most, it would be lost in some unknown space, perhaps in an unknown corner of Wohnde, or in an elemental plane. If it was unlucky, it could be in one of the countless broken half-planes or dimensional fragments outside the boundaries of the Law of Tiamat. If Halran Gaia was lost in one of those places, mortals would never be able to find it even if they spent their entire lives searching for it. But for dragons, they might be able to find it again one day.
After all, time was not a threshold for dragons. They were immortal.
Would Modesty and Gwendolyn dare to gamble? Brando stared at the two dragons, and could tell from their expressions that they did not dare to gamble. Even if it was only one in a hundred thousand, or one in a million, who could be sure that Lady Martha would not play a joke on you? Brando was keenly aware of this from their hesitation. Although he had already come to the same conclusion from their tough tone, it was now confirmed. Gwendolyn and Modesty only had one chance to use Halran Gaia, and they could not afford to lose.
Brando secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although it did not mean that he was out of danger, at least it meant that he could buy more time.
Now, both sides were almost back to the same starting line.
Although Modesty and Gwendolyn still held the initiative.
"Mortal, this idea of yours is very dangerous," the Dragon Queen replied coldly. The chill in her voice seemed to cause the entire valley to howl with cold winds and a layer of frost to fall. "Are you saying that you want to use this to blackmail us?"
"Lady Dragon, I don't have a choice." Brendel replied frankly, spreading out his hands with a helpless look. It was Chiara's first time seeing the ruffian side of the Count, but the former's fearless calmness made her eyes twinkle slightly. She thought to herself, This bad guy isn't as useless as the rumors say. Previously, Brendel was always in an advantageous position, giving out orders confidently. But now, they were in a completely disadvantageous position. It could even be said that their lives were in the hands of others, but the other party was also neither servile nor overbearing, which made her look at him in a new light.
The trait of a gambler who did not care about life or death and was staking everything on one throw surprised Chiyara, who was used to seeing the cautious nobles of the kingdom. She had never seen such a noble before.
However, Chiyara was more annoyed than anything else. Since this guy dared to contradict the two dragons, he would most likely make things worse. In fact, it was not that there was no other way to solve the problem. She really did not know why he was so angry. Couldn't he satisfy the vanity of the dragons? What an idiot. What she did not understand the most was why this guy could not forget his subordinate. Wasn't she just a pawn? Since she was already in this position, she should have learned to abandon the pawn to save the king. Kindness and naivety were destined to have no fate with nobles. You have more than one subordinate, at least for now, there are all of us in this diplomatic group. Chiyara could not help but clench her sharp little canine teeth, full of resentment. She did not know how this damn guy's brain worked.
She secretly tugged at Brando's sleeve a few times, but the latter seemed to know what she was going to say and turned a deaf ear. Chiyara was afraid and angry at the same time. If it were not for her small size that did not attract attention, and the two dragons did not notice her when she jumped up a few times, she was afraid that she would have taken the initiative to interrupt the two dragons and one man at this moment to state her conditions.
The Roman was very obedient. She always believed in Brando unconditionally in situations where he was present. However, this did not mean that the merchant lady was obedient and sensible. It was probably because she had the mentality that if the sky fell, there would be someone taller to hold it up.
Among the four of them, only the elf was so scared that she did not dare to move. Xianni was also hiding in her hood, mumbling something.
After listening to Brando's answer, the two dragons' faces became very unfriendly, but they did not answer for a long time.
Brando also waited quietly.
He was actually very puzzled. He wondered if this matter was really so difficult for the two dragons. Their enemy was Cruz, and it was almost the same for him. He did not even ask for help to take back Scarlet, he just wanted a promise that he could leave Anzlova safely, reach the capital of the Empire, and cause trouble for Cruz. Both sides clearly had the same interests, but the other side was not willing to do it. Was the dragon's face so valuable?
The dragons he had encountered in The Amber Sword were not like this at all. Most of them were more like Aloz and Shitah, haggling over every detail and being very pragmatic.
Brendel instinctively felt that something was amiss. He repeatedly thought about his request, trying to figure out where it conflicted with the other party's interests, but he could not find a single clue even after racking his brains. [These two Dragons are really crazy.] That was the only conclusion he came up with.
Brando waited. He had already shown his last card, and now all he had to do was wait for the other party's answer.
But to his disappointment, Gwendolyn shook her head in the end.
"Mortal, your request will not change?" The dragon queen asked indifferently.
Brando nodded.
"Maybe you still want to get lucky." Gwendolyn seemed to be very reluctant to say such words, but she frowned and continued. "But I want you to understand one thing. The Sword of Halran Gaia in your Dimensional Cave is indeed a very troublesome matter. But for the dragons, it is not unsolvable. We just don't want to waste time. If you think that a Dimensional Cave alone can stop us, then you are very, very wrong. "
The Dragon Queen's voice rumbled above the valley. Brendel frowned slightly after hearing it. Of course, he knew that the Dragon Queen was right. His trump card was not unsolvable for the Dragon Queen. First of all, as he had expected, even if Halran Gaia was lost, it was not impossible for them to find it. It was just that they would have to waste a lot of time and even invest a lot of manpower and material resources.
There was also a second possibility, and that was to find a way to subdue him before they killed him. If he lost consciousness, then it would not be so difficult for the dragons to open the Dimensional Cave.
It would be very easy for two adult dragons to subdue him.
Provided that he did not have the Elapsing Needle.
And now, if they were not careful, it would backfire on them.
Brando's heart was clear, and naturally understood the real reason why Modesty and Gwendolyn were concerned.
After Gwendolyn finished her advice, she paused for a moment, and continued, "I don't understand why you are so stubborn. She is just a human woman. She has no birth or background, and the only thing she can rely on is the Azure Lance. But if you don't care about the Azure Lance, why do you have to make things difficult for yourself on this matter? Don't you get it? She is now at the center of a whirlpool, and is a potential threat to you. What you should do now is to distance yourself from her as much as possible, and not barge in like a moth to a flame. "
The dragon queen's words became cold in the end. "Don't be stupid. You are a smart person, and you can't see the pros and cons of this. Little one, I am warning you because of your grandfather."
In a way, Gwendolyn's words made sense.
There were many things in this world that could not be done as one wished.
Wanting to do it and finally doing it were two very different things.
It was normal in most situations to have ideals in one's heart, but to be unable to move forward in the end. Humans were a race that sought advantages and avoided disadvantages, and this was an animal's instinct for self-protection.
In front of Brando were two dragons and a huge and powerful empire, and behind him, the people of Erouine were not even united — the kingdom wanted to protect every one of its people — but even he knew that if this sentence was put in the kingdom, any noble would praise it as a great line, but in reality, everyone thought that it was a subconscious slogan. It sounded beautiful, but it might not be done.
After all, they were Cruz's people.
Not to mention, there was still Gwendolyn and Modesty in front of him. In the eyes of anyone, Brando's choice to back down now would not have any moral issues. In fact, he had done well enough, and how many lords would dare to openly cause trouble in the empire for a subordinate? Based on this point alone, no one in Erouine would dare to say that he was a greedy and vile person who used the name of righteousness as an excuse.
The reason was simple: if you were not convinced, you could try challenging the empire.
But there was a limit to human strength.
Gwendolyn's words were already making concessions as much as possible, and Chiyara could not help but feel anxious. Even the dragons had given him a way out, and if he still insisted, it would be suicide. Abandoning the pawn to save the king — wasn't that simple? Chiyara really did not understand why this guy with a wooden fish head did not say a word.
Brando did not answer directly.
Although he did not understand why Gwendolyn and Modesty were causing trouble for him, the truth was right in front of him. If he wanted to go to Rushta, he must first overcome this obstacle.
As for what he should choose in his heart —
Brando did not think too much about it, because he already had an answer.
At this moment, he felt like a patient with terminal delusions. Reason and logic seemed to have nothing to do with him. He told himself in his heart — if I give up Scarlet, then what am I left with? He examined his experiences ever since he came to this world. Everything he said and did, although it might not be clear, they all followed the same belief. He did not ask for it to be logical, but to have a clear conscience. If he gave up on this belief, then why did he come back to this world?
Brando did not think that he could convince himself.
If that was the case.
Then he would just do it.
A person could stop, but he could not leave behind regrets.
"Then," Brando answered, "the negotiation has broken down."
He said, "Actually, I am also very sorry."
"But I still don't understand." Brando shook his head and asked in confusion, "What is the offense of my request to the two esteemed ladies?"
Chiyara almost jumped up.
She was stunned. She thought that Brando would definitely use this as an excuse to step down. Unless he was a real lunatic, he would not let himself die for such a thing. Although after these days of interaction, she already knew that this guy was a relatively decent person, but there were many decent people in Erouine, and they would never break off their relationship with the two dragons for such a thing.
Even if some people did not care about their own lives, the problem was that Brando was a lord. What about the other people under him? Would he not care? Would those people let this lord do as he pleased?
This was a joke.
Chiyara subconsciously looked at the Roman, but the merchant lady raised her small eyebrows as if Brando's choice was completely justified. It would be strange if he did not make such a choice. However, Chiyara could not help but feel annoyed. Did these people not realize one thing? They were about to become delicious barbecued meat. What kind of people were that merchant lady and that blockhead lord?
At this time, Brando took a step back.
Chiyara was shocked when she saw this. With her intelligence, of course, she could see that the count was going all out. At this time, she did not have time to think about anything else. She was a well-known genius in House Seifer, but she had an even more outstanding brother. That was why she had always been hidden, so her reputation wasn't known to the outside world. Chiyara had always been full of confidence in her own mind. Even in this most dangerous moment, she was no exception.
She was still angry at Brando for dragging her down, but when Brando moved, she immediately clearly judged the current situation and what she should do.
"That guy over there, since you have chosen to do this, damn it, you are a brainless idiot. Forget it, it is useless to say this now. I have something to tell you." She was hoping that Brando would give in, but this time, she shouted decisively, "They will not help you. You must not hope that these two dragons will change their minds, because they are on the side of the Silver Queen. There is only one traitor in the Empire, and that is Her Majesty the Queen!"
As soon as Brendel heard this, he stopped what he was about to do. He could not help but stare at Chiyara in surprise. He wondered what was wrong with this little lady. Was she so scared that she started talking in her sleep?
Chiyara's shout echoed in the valley. Gwendolyn and Modesty, who were about to subdue Brando, also stopped and looked at the little girl beside Brando in surprise. They had never paid attention to each other, but when Chiyara said this, their thoughts were pulled back to reality. The look on their faces clearly proved that Chiyara was not lying. On the contrary, she had guessed correctly.
"I don't have time to explain it to you," Chiyara replied impatiently. She grabbed Brando's arm, and then roughly told him the information she got from Boris Anvil and Shagos. After that, she shouted loudly, "Quick, take us out of here. You may be a little stupid, but you are not a real lunatic. I know you must have a way!"
Of course, she knew that once she revealed these secrets, there would be no turning back for both sides.
And this was her purpose.
Since she could see that Brando was going to fight to the death, she could not let this blockhead be distracted and cause everyone to lose their lives. It was better to completely dispel the doubts between him and the two dragons. She did not want to be killed by an idiot for no reason. Of course, Brando did not know that in Chiyara's heart, he was already a simple-minded idiot. But the little one's sudden change in attitude still startled him. He pulled Chiyara to his side, picked up the little elf, and let Roman grab his arm at the same time.
At least Chiyara was right about one thing.
Indeed, he was not completely powerless to fight back.
Brando immediately activated the Elapsed Needle, but this time, he did not activate it for a moment like before, and then immediately turn it off. For the first time, he activated the sub-divine artifact continuously. Ten times the elapsed time instantly, and the entire scenery in the surrounding forest slowed down. The falling leaves, the slowly dancing flames, and the dancing dust formed a very strange landscape.
At this moment, it was a world that had slowed down ten times for Brando and the others — or rather, for Gwendolyn and Modesty, it was a world that had sped up ten times for Brando.
Brando estimated the time he needed, and then bitterly realized that he needed to activate the Elapsed Needle for at least ten minutes to escape safely into the underground tunnel without being chased by the two dragons.
Ten minutes.
This was like returning to the rhythm before liberation in a single day.
At the same time, there was another problem. And that was that Gwendolyn and Modesty had no way to break his Elapsed Needle.
Both Gwendolyn and Modesty saw Brando's figure flash and disappear at the same time. They watched the scene happen from above, but did not seem too surprised. After all, they already knew that he had the Elapsed Needle. The dragon queen glanced at Modesty, and the latter nodded slightly at her.
The two dragons spread their wings at the same time and flew up from the valley.
… …
(PS: As for why there was a III yesterday? That was because it was to confuse the mechanism. The power of the mechanism is so strong that I have to keep a low profile as much as possible. So in the future, if you see a wrong title or something like that … it must be the mechanism's scheme. Don't be surprised.)
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