85 Dragon Blood Soil, Support Albert

As Duke Ryan rode away on the dragon, Allen couldn't help but feel a yearning in his heart. This was the life he truly desired.

"How majestic and cool it must be to ride a dragon every day?" Allen thought aloud, earning a glance from the Marquis of the Lion beside him.

The Marquis addressed him, "Don't gaze too long, young one. I presume this is your first time witnessing the Grand Duke riding a giant dragon, right?"

"Don't let envy and yearning consume you. Remember, the Grand Duke is a Dragon Knight, the pinnacle powerhouse of our continent. In our Principality, the Grand Duke stands alone."

The Marquis displayed an expression of understanding and patted Allen on the shoulder. "Becoming a strong Sanctuary with your talent may not be impossible, but becoming a Dragon Knight? That's a dream too distant. Stop daydreaming."

As the Marquis spoke, he revealed a hint of nostalgia. "Looking at you, it reminds me of my youth. Who doesn't aspire to be a Dragon Knight? It's just that I lacked the strength."

The Marquis of Wild Lion continued, addressing Allen, "Alright, Allen, your current objective should be to accompany your troops and me in sweeping the other two Marquis."

Upon hearing this, Allen nodded, "Of course, but I believe the soldiers deserve some rest. They fought valiantly to vanquish the enemy and are quite fatigued."

"Certainly," agreed the Marquis. "In the vicinity, there are three Earl cities and one Marquis city. I'll allocate an Earl city to you, and I'll personally lead the troops to gather wealth and resources."

The Marquis of the Wild Lion revealed his plans to Allen.

"For the rest," the Marquis continued with a tone of authority, "follow my lead. Garrick, you are quite the embarrassment. All of you are Earls, yet you fall behind a sixteen-year-old Baron in leading a campaign! Hmph, you can divide the two remaining Earl Cities among yourselves."

As soon as Marquis Wild Lion left Allen's sight, his smile vanished, leaving behind an expression of contempt and disappointment.

Garrick tried to speak but ultimately lowered his head in deference to the Marquis's decision. Allen's performance had simply astonished everyone, even earning the optimism of Archduke Ryan. There was little they could do.

Before long, Garrick and a few others recalled their troops, although they didn't all head directly for the four cities. Instead, one Earl remained behind with half of the forces, and they began excavating the soil.

Yes, they were indeed digging soil—precisely, soil stained with dragon blood.

Allen was taken aback but soon received an explanation from one of the Earls who stayed behind.

"This is Dragon Blood Soil, Allen. Your previous title was too low, and you're too young. Naturally, you wouldn't comprehend the value of this Dragon Blood Soil."

This Earl had been specifically chosen by Marquis Wild Lion to oversee the soil excavation, highlighting the Marquis's great appreciation for this Dragon Blood Soil.

"You're aware that dragons are perfect beings," the Earl elaborated. "They're formidable and provide us with a constant stream of resources and wealth. Anything linked to dragons is a treasure, let alone dragon blood."

"This Dragon Blood Soil significantly benefits plants and magical flora. Dragon blood is brimming with potent magical energy, unique to giant dragons. This energy can transmute magical plants and even elevate Nature Spirits when used for cultivation. In essence, Dragon Blood is undoubtedly a treasure for us."

Allen listened, showing an expression of amazement. Indeed, in this world, anything connected to giant dragons held immense value.

As Allen's eyes sparkled with intrigue, the Earl smiled. "Don't worry; some of this is yours. After all, you're a great hero."

"Thank you very much," Allen responded with a smile.

Instead of leaving immediately, Allen instructed Marko and Viscount Ironwood to lead their forces toward the Earl City. It was crucial to reach the Earl City promptly; otherwise, they risked significant loss should others react in time. A similar situation had occurred in Feiyan City, where Earl Feiyan's family had fled with the Nature Spirit ahead of Allen, leaving him with only some gold coins upon his arrival. Allen had no intention of repeating that mistake.

After sending Marko and the others on their way, Allen seated himself on the ground, waiting for updates from the senior dragon nest. There was still an abundance of dragon power in his vicinity, a resource he couldn't afford to squander.

He engaged in conversation with the remaining Earl for a while. Soon enough, the system signaled that the power of the giant dragon had dissipated, prompting Allen to ride his Silver Moon Wolf and depart without hesitation.

He quickly caught up with Marco, entering the Earl City half an hour later. The Thorns flag was planted throughout the city while searching for wealth.

During this search, Allen stumbled upon Earl Feiyan's family in the city. This unexpected discovery filled him with elation. It appeared that fortune was smiling upon him once again.

Originally, he believed that they had already fled to safety, but now he discovered that they had indeed escaped to this city, accompanied by a fairy and three Nature Spirits. This revelation put Allen in high spirits. He now possessed two fairies, in addition to the one initially obtained in the Earl City and the one from Feiyan City, amounting to four fairies.

With four fairies and the harvest of four Nature Spirits, Allen felt genuinely content about his prospects in the national war.

That evening, Allen decided not to sweep the surrounding minor nobles once more. His soldiers were already weary, having endured a high-intensity battle of life and death. Everyone needed rest, both physically and mentally.

After arranging for a sumptuous dinner and allowing his troops to rest for the night, Allen found them rejuvenated and ready for action the following morning. The soldiers had regained their strength.

In the early morning, they resumed their campaign, sweeping the minor nobles in the vicinity.

They continued throughout the day, ensuring that no noble remained untouched. The following day, Allen received orders from Marquis Wild Lion, instructing him to send troops to another Marquis to support their battle.

For Allen, this was excellent news. At this point, his merit points had nearly reached half a million, and more merit points meant better rewards.

He left behind one thousand soldiers to continue clearing the remaining minor nobles while taking the remaining six thousand to reinforce another battlefield.

After capturing sufficient territory consecutively, Allen and his forces gathered an additional six thousand troops. Technically, it was five thousand because each of Allen's soldiers had a war horse or Silver Moon Wolf.

The inclusion of war horses substantially increased their mobility. The journey that initially would have taken more than three days was completed in just one.

Upon arrival, they encountered Earl Albert and his group in combat against an Earl from the Blue Moon Principality.

Naturally, Allen charged in to grab the enemy's head without saying a word.

"Everyone, charge forward!" Allen commanded, his forces following suit.