South of Cormier, southern foothills of the King's Forest, Dukedom of Nadal, Fort Nadal.

Robert Nadal, the current Duke of Nadal, sat upright at a sandalwood table of elaborate workmanship, and from time to time he took the parchment papers piled up on the table, took the quill, and dipped it in high-quality ink made from deep-sea squid liquid, and wrote something on the papers.

As he took care of his business, the Duke moved his gaze to the gold table clock in the upper corner of the table, and when the Duke was a little impatient, the thick oak door with elven carvings made a soft knock, and the corners of the Duke's eyes narrowed.

"Come in. The Duke said rather majestically.

Dressed in gilded breastplates and wearing magical swords, the guards held high their heads in red bearskin hats, held the hilt of their swords in their right hands, and pushed open the thick study door with their left hand, letting in the dusty duke's young son.

Duke Nadal's youngest son, Star Nadal, despite the fatigue of rushing all the way from the royal capital Susar, saluted his father and wanted to say something, but the duke just nodded casually, and continued to deal with official business, without the intention of talking to Star, Star stood in the study quite awkwardly, and there was the sound of the guards closing the door behind him, Star thought that his father would talk to him soon, but the old duke was just seriously handling official business, and only the rustle of a quill scratching the parchment was left in the study.

Star looked at his father who bowed his head to deal with official business, he hadn't seen his father's face for more than a year and was a little older, the father and son had the same hooked nose and slender face, Star's blue eyes were inherited from his deceased mother, and his father's green eyes were not the same, originally the father and son had the same color of blonde hair, but as time went by, the father's blonde hair gradually fell off, lost its luster, and became a little white, and he had to keep a neat short hair, and did not wear a wig set like other nobles, while Star still had ear-length semi-long hair, and the golden hair was very conspicuous in the well-lit study。

"I love the feeling of the breeze in my hair. Seeing his father's short hair, Star thought a little unexpectedly of what his father, who had the same hairstyle as his current hairstyle, when he took himself and his brother to trout fishing one day.

Father lost his hair and youth?What did he lose?Inheritance?Family?Or fat trout?Star, thinking a little absurdly, if his father knew that he had put the family in the same place as the grilled trout, he would probably be angry, just like he had always done, but this time was different, the family was in a very dangerous situation, and if he was not careful, he would be doomed, thinking of the current situation and his mission, Star took a deep breath and planned to interrupt his father.

Star, who has experienced many big scenes, actually felt a little nervous, after all, the stakes are high, Star felt his thirsty throat, hesitated, planned to drink some drinks, looked around left and right, there were sets of hardcover books on the mahogany bookshelf, in the glass cover on the low table, there were clay tablets from another continent, on the shelves on the wall were silver plates painted with several major wars of Cormier, and the huge portraits of more than 20 patriarchs of the Nadal family occupied a large number of places in the vast study in addition to the bookshelves, and the rest of the place was occupied by porcelain vases and various gold table clocks。

Looking around the somewhat crowded study, Star found her target in front of the delicate sofa covered with red velvet, on the coffee table were placed the tobacco of the Chult jungle and a full set of brass smoking utensils, Star glanced at the Carlinsan smoking gun with a sterling silver cigarette holder, picked up the glass wine bottle next to the smoking set, the wine bottle glowed golden in the sunlight, Star pulled out the cork and poured out the elven gin, and noticed his father's inquiring gaze in the afterglow, Star drank the golden wine poured into the wine glass, his throat was moistened by the warm wine very comfortably, Star let out a long breath and prepared to start the war with his father。

"I know what you're here for. The duke stared at his young son and said abruptly.

"The family is in danger, father, listen to me-"

Before Starr could finish speaking, the Duke grinned, revealing a mouthful of teeth yellowed by tobacco: "Haven't you already taken refuge in that girl of Yaluselle?

That's not because I don't have the right to inherit, only a few estates and workshops, and the ridiculous title of Earl of the Court!Star said to himself in his heart, ready to convince his father.

"That guy is going to make a move, not only did she not fight the Shadow Man, but she also caught up with Tifanton City and the former Chief War Mage, she can't deal with the aggressive nobles, and now she is ready to fight to the death, I already know. The Duke said nonchalantly.

Shi Da subconsciously grasped the sword, and was shocked, since his father knew, what about the other nobles? Shi Da looked at his father's smile, and caught a glimpse of the hooked nose of his ancestors on the portrait of his ancestors, and felt that his father's face was even more gloomy.

While Starr was thinking about the conditions offered by the Steel Regency, such as the autonomy of the territory, some legislative powers, the property rights of certain mines and forest land, the concession rights of certain industries, and the right of way for maritime trade and trade routes, and a series of conditions that might impress his father, and secretly calculated that the negotiations would not succeed and forcibly flee to report the news, the Duke spoke.

"Don't worry, the intelligence has not been leaked, I have analyzed it, I don't know if other people can analyze it, I know what you mean, your brother is training private soldiers, and he will set off with you, and when he returns to the royal capital, your brother will enter the palace to meet His Royal Highness the Regent, and the private soldiers will be under your command." ”

Starr was stunned and asked, "What about the conditions?"

His own family is known as the "smart" Nadal, who will participate in every political struggle and successfully take sides, and eventually develop the family from a knightly family to one of the seven hereditary dukes of the kingdom, and his father is known as the "smartest" Nadal.

"There are no conditions, we don't want anything, even the military expenses and grain and grass are all paid by us. ”

Seeing the stunned young son, the duke said slowly: "Have you studied history? Where have the dukes and marquis of the era gone in the 1,000 years since the founding of the Cormier state? What are the virtues of these great nobles hundreds of years ago? Why did the royal family rule Cormier for a thousand years?"

Seeing the young son who shook his head in a daze, the duke sighed and said: "You're right, the family is very dangerous, not to mention Cormier, how can the whole of Faren have a family that has been established for thousands of years except for the Obaisier family? Everyone else says that the smart Nasr wants to be the first family of Cormier, and even occupies the throne, I'm afraid that when that day comes, Nasr will be finished, and everything I have been doing is just to let the family continue, so the smart Nasr can't always be smart, and you have to do some stupid things from time to time." ”

Starr nodded a little ignorantly, and for the first time he sincerely paid some respect to his father.

The Duke waved his hand tiredly, and as soon as Star was about to retreat, the Duke stopped Star again: "Do you remember the legend of the Purple Dragon?"

Star was stunned for a moment, thinking back to the fairy tale that his mother and father had told him, the fairy tale that every Cormier knew.

"A purple dragon, born from elven magic mixed with dragon blood in ancient times, hides in human form among the crowd, may be in the royal capital, may be in the King's Forest, may be in the Cape of Storm Mountains or Thundering Peaks, she loves nature, opposes greed, sometimes is merciful, can save children who have fallen into the water, sometimes fierce, can tear apart arrogant knights, she is wandering around, guarding ancient secrets, silently guarding the Cormir and Obaisqier families, and when the purple dragon dies, it is the time when the Cormir and Obaisqier families are destroyed。 "Cormier's children fantasize about the dragon freeing him from his chattering parents.

After Shi Da was a year old, he felt that the prototype of this story was probably a rare dragon that lived in Cormier in ancient times, this dragon had perished in the material world, and the Cormiers embodied this dragon, and planted many stories for her to punish the evil lord and teach disobedient children for her parents, expressing their desire to punish evil and promote good, and achieve their actual purpose of scaring children, just like the legend of the fairy in the lake and the red hat elf who did housework.

Just as he was about to say something, the Duke told Star to step down.

After a stunned Starr stepped back, the Duke picked up his glass, poured a glass of elven gin, and watched thoughtfully through the wide glass window from the Northlands as the private soldiers walked out of the castle.

The Duke didn't tell Star all his reasons just now.

When the Duke was young, he got lost in the King's Forest on his little stallion during a hunting trip, and the terrifying night and the faint howl of wolves frightened the young Duke, but he had an adventure.

The hideous and huge purple phantom in the King's Forest, swallowing the wolves that attacked the Duke, obviously with sharp blood-stained teeth, but with a thrilling beauty on her body, more than half a century later, the Duke can still clearly remember her graceful figure, remember the childish innocence and naughtiness contained in her huge purple eyes.

The Duke stumbles upon the greatest secret of the Obeschier family, a forgotten secret, a truth hidden in the most absurd legends.

The Duke raised his glass in the direction of the King's Forest.

"May you be well. ”

Putting down his glass, the Duke smiled meaningfully.