"Where are we going now?" Belle hurried after her, carrying her long dress.

"'We'? do you want to come with us?" said Adair, looking over Belle.

"Of course, I've made it a fraternity. You don't welcome me?" Belle looked at Adair with wide eyes.

"No, no, no, of course welcome, very welcome. But let me think about it. The prom ended a little too quickly. Hmm......" Looking at Jones, Adair asked, "Jones, is there any place you'd like to go?"

"No idea. Jones shook his head: "After all, I haven't been here. ”

"Okay, then I've decided. Let's go to the top of the hill first, you haven't been there yet. ”

"The top of the hill is where we will be hearings?"

"Yes. Let's go for a walk first. ”

"Why not the bottom of the mountain? The top of the mountain will have to go sooner or later anyway. As he spoke, Jones looked out at the boundless city below.

"Uh...... Are you interested in the bottom of the mountain?" Adalton hesitated.

"Of course. Jones said firmly: "I am a city lord, and of course I will be interested in the city. ”

"Okay, that's fine. With that, Adair pretended to bow to Jones, bowed and said, "You are the most honored guest of the High Court today, and everything is up to you." ”

Immediately after, he whistled loudly.

Soon, the butler himself drove slowly from a distance in a carriage.

......

"What did you say? Jones Dracula, the lord of Megasnake City, went to your ball?" In the castle not far away, a man of the Blood Clan with long black hair, a burly figure, a handsome face, and a black dress slowly turned his head.

Standing behind him was the owner of the ball that Jones and Adair had just attended.

"Yes, short silver hair, about seventy-five years old. The master of the ball said respectfully, "The point is that someone recognized the young master of the Sambo family, Adair, by his side, and the daughter of the Rizzo family was with them. They belong to the same brotherhood. ”

"What are they doing at your prom?"

"I don't know, I haven't had time to talk to them yet. However, Rizzo's daughter was on my prom invitation list. ”

The black-haired Bloodclan man raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at the master of the ball.

"Your Royal Highness Prince Harez, the rapid development of Mega Serpent City has put a strain on all of us. I've heard that the Gangaro gang is pushing for this hearing on the one hand, and on the other hand, trying to reach out to Mega Snake City. Shall we also ......?"

At this point, the master of the ball said no more.

The Bloodline man known as Prince Harryz thought for a moment and said softly, "Giant Snake City is not a Bloodline at all, strictly speaking, they should belong to the Lich King's forces. We, the Nicklaus family, are not in such a hurry to make a move as the Gangero guys. At most, wait and see, and give a push at the right time. The threat of Snake City is great, but the Nicklaus family has thousands of years of accumulation. Even if there is no gain for a hundred years, it is not a big problem. Not to mention that it's only been a year. If someone wants to charge, let them charge. I heard that the Lich King Gray is a man who can't hold sand in his eyes, and it is a bit risky to fight against such an opponent. ”

"Yes, you're right, there's no need for us to be in such a hurry!" said the master of the ball, hurriedly and respectfully.

"But. ”

As soon as this "but" came out, the master of the ball, who had been preparing to leave, suddenly came to his senses again and looked at Prince Harez.

After a pause, Prince Harez continued, "However, if he reaches out to you, you might as well reach out to him." ”

As he spoke, his eyes slanted meaningfully towards the master of the ball, and he said in a low voice, "Find out where they have gone and what they have been doing since they left the ball." ”

"Okay, I see. The ballmaster hurriedly saluted and turned to leave.

It wasn't until after the master of the ball had left that Harriez picked up the scissors in his hand and said to himself as he carefully trimmed his flowers, "Sambo and Gangaro, neither of them can be taken lightly." Somehow, Sambo got involved with the Lich King's power. Gangaro is ostensibly at odds with Snake City, but in fact, he just hates not getting a piece of the cake. And this Lich King...... What the hell does he want to do? Why is he fighting Heaven to such an extent, and is he still free to build a Serpent City on the Colin Peninsula? Is he trying to defeat Heaven with gold?"

As he spoke, he raised his eyebrows slightly and laughed slowly.

A Blood Clan servant slowly walked behind him and whispered, "Your Royal Highness, our surplus from last year has been calculated. ”

"How much?"

"Two and a half million gold coins. ”

"The year before last, we were?"

"Twenty-five million. ”

"Ninety percent less?" After a long pause, Harritz whispered to himself, "No loss, it's good news." ”

......

Jones hadn't been to the top of the mountain, and the mountainside and the bottom of the mountain could be said to be two worlds entirely.

Winter has passed, and the snow and ice have melted.

However, even without a drop of rain, the city-state under the Gording Mountains was still wet. Every street is muddy. The air was filled with a rancid smell.

Jones had never seen a city like this.

The buildings here are very tall, at least three storeys or more, and it is not uncommon for buildings to be seven or eight storeys. But it is not a uniformly planned, neat, and magnificent building. It looks like a patchwork of randomness.

The streets are narrow, but there are many people, including Bloodline Freedmen, Goblin Traders, Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, and even the occasional Bloodlord or two, dressed in good clothes...... There are all kinds of races, and it's very crowded. Almost every corner is noisy.

When you're in the mountains, although the road around the mountain isn't very wide, there are some sections where unicorns can even run. And here it is...... As soon as I got off the mountain, the carriage was blocked in the street. The butler had to stand in the carriage and shout incessantly, trying to drive away the pedestrians who stood in front of him. However, it seems to be useless at all. The carriage was still as slow as a snail.

Adair was a little angry, but he had no choice but to spread his hands and say, "Actually, I haven't been down the mountain much, but to be honest, it's really not a good idea." The place is a bit bad. ”

"It would have been better to be a little further away from the foot of the mountain. Belle unconsciously covered her nose with her hands: "The people gathered here are all people who serve the castle on the mountain." There are so many castles on the hill and there are definitely more people offering their services. Normally, I don't want to come down. It's a bit dirty. And often get stuck in traffic. ”

Jones sat by the window and watched quietly, silently.

On both sides of the street stood braziers taller than horse-drawn carriages, and the light of the fire shone through the windows on Jones's face.

Finally, they made it through the most crowded section of the road, entered a new area, and became crowded again.

"What is this place?" Jones asked softly.

"Slave markets. Belle replied softly, "The slave you asked me to buy was bought here." Now they have become big customers. ”

Rows of slaves were strung together and walked past Jones's carriage.

On both sides of the road are rows of cage-like buildings, layered on top of each other. Every window has a prison-like barustrade. Countless ragged slaves huddled into the small space, staring out the window. It's like an animal waiting to be slaughtered in a restaurant.

Not far away, there is a stage-like building that seems to be holding a slave auction.

On the Colin Peninsula, the auction of slaves was a common occurrence and a specialty of slave traders. This was true in Hilde, and it was also true in the High Court.

Jones was fascinated.

Adair on the side was startled, and hurriedly reached out to close the curtain.

"What's wrong?" Jones asked.

"Gree......" Adair said hesitantly, "I'm afraid you're chivalrous and want to save them." That's it. ”

"No, I won't. Jones reopened the curtain and whispered, "I'm not like my father." ”

"You mean your adoptive father, the Lich King?" Belle asked in a whisper.

"Yes. Jones nodded, and continued, "It's my job to save them, but I'm not going to do it rashly." At least until you make sure you have enough strength to stand up to them. I am not like my father, although I am also like him, I am a chivalrous person. ”

Adair and Belle glanced at each other and asked in a low voice, "What's that......?" Do you want to go in and take a walk?"

At this moment, the carriage happened to be blocked in front of one of the slave markets. A female human slave was being guarded by a Bloodclan pulling her hair, screaming all the way. Passers-by had long been accustomed to it, and they didn't even look at it.

Jones watched silently, until the bloodline and woman disappeared through the door, then he took a deep breath and whispered, "No, let's go." ”

The wheels gurgled and turned, and the carriage slowly moved forward again.

After a long time, Jones whispered, "One of the contents of this hearing is that they oppose my freemanship of slaves. They believe that my mass emancipation of slaves violates the traditions of the Bloodline. ”

"That'...... What are you going to do?" Belle asked in a whisper.

"There's nothing to do, according to the laws of the Bloodline, there is no rule that slaves cannot be emancipated. Jones replied softly: "Not only is there no rule that slaves cannot be emancipated, but there is also a clear list of the steps and procedures required to emancipate slaves." I did it all. They couldn't find my problem. ”

"Then why are they holding a hearing?"

"I think they're just trying to find fault. Adair spread his hands: "In trade, there are not many places where they can start. This one is one of the few places where Mega Snake City can be blamed. And even if it's this one, it's actually very difficult for them to start. We don't need to be afraid of them in the slightest. ”

Sitting in front of the window, Jones frowned slightly, as if thinking about something.

On the streets, horse-drawn carriages walked slowly.

Faces flickered before Jones's eyes. There are cunning, some emaciated, some angry, some depressed, some despairing, some weary...... All kinds of things, like a big pot of stew. It's like Jones doesn't want the inhabitants of Mega Snake City to be.

n.