On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

The deputy leader spoke rapidly, looking at the unmoved dragon girl, both angry and annoyed.

Knowing that their enemy included a Calamity-level powerhouse, they needed a force of equal strength. Naturally, they thought of the Dragon Girl. With her formidable power, being a Calamity-level opponent herself, she could at least escort them to safety, if not fight two at once. This is why they rushed towards the arena immediately after the attack.

Just as the deputy leader was about to yell at the dragon girl again, the door was suddenly blown off, followed by another powerful cannon blast that blasted a huge hole in the roof.

Amidst the smoke and the terrified cries of the Gurasai leadership, a figure slowly emerged. When the deputy leader finally saw the figure clearly by the firelight, he immediately gasped in surprise.

"It's you!?"

This time, the dragon girl on the scene finally reacted. Her empty, lifeless purple dragon eyes also looked over, and surprisingly, they narrowed slightly. A few ripples appeared in her previously stagnant eyes, which had been like a pool of still water.

The man who appeared before them was completely shrouded in a cloak, making it impossible to see his face.

But this person is clearly not unfamiliar to many of the higher-ups at Gulasee.

Because he is the very person who, today in the arena, with incredible fighting tenacity, became the first person in history to defeat the Dragon Girl in a head-on one-on-one fight, making him the arena's super rookie and dark horse champion.

Before anyone could react, a mechanical voice, sounding like it had been synthesized electronically, rang out from behind the gray-robed man.

"New trash detected. Trash classification determined. Not recyclable. Cleaning mode activated."

A household android dressed as a maid emerged from behind the gray-robed man. After an electronic voice sounded, the maid's hands and feet were replaced with dark cannon muzzles, pointing directly at the crowd.

Fortunately, another young girl, dressed in a nun's habit and looking delicate, rushed over as if she were jogging, and grabbed the maid who was about to fire.

Upon seeing these three, the high-ranking officials of the Guras base present widened their eyes and finally understood what was going on. The deputy leader among them even turned ferocious.

"It's you! No! It's all of you!"

He turned angrily to the Dragon Girl, then roared as if laughing in rage, "I never imagined you were the traitor! You gave him our information! No wonder... no wonder!!"

The deputy leader clearly believed that the Dragon Girl and the Grey Man were in cahoots to plan the night raid, which would explain the Dragon Girl's seemingly "coincidental" defeat in the arena, and why the Grey Man didn't kill her in the end.

"Hehehe, I knew it! You and your daughter are both the same kind of filthy bitches! Have you gotten too arrogant, thinking we can't control you? You were just unwilling to waste our energy before, but now... you've brought this on yourself!"

As the deputy leader spoke, a red light flashed from behind him, forming a crown-like brand. Immediately afterward, a corresponding light flashed behind the dragon girl, this time not a crown, but a handcuff-shaped brand.

Twin Marks, the mother mark holder, can control the vassals of the child mark to a certain extent.

Anyone who wants to come to the arena to compete and earn money, and to become a gladiator, must accept the branding imposed by the organizers behind the scenes. Once the brand is applied, it cannot be removed on its own for the rest of its life unless the original branding organization agrees.

The deputy leader unleashed the Mother's Mark, attempting to forcibly attach his will to the Dragon Girl. Intense pain and a tearing sensation immediately engulfed the Dragon Girl, but she gritted her teeth. Although her expression was strained, she did not yield. No matter how hard the deputy leader tried to activate the mark, the Dragon Girl remained motionless.

However, this had a significant backlash, greatly affecting the dragon girl's body. Blood began to flow from the corner of her mouth, and her body became increasingly weak.

As she swayed and her vision blurred, she vaguely saw the gray-robed man walking towards her.

The gray-robed man then placed his hand on the back of the dragon girl's neck, and a brand-new contract emblem quickly condensed on the back of her neck. The dragon girl did not resist at all. Until the very end, when the contract was fully formed, the brand mark on the dragon girl's back, which should have been impossible to remove for the rest of her life, was easily peeled off from the dragon girl—no, from Jiu You's body—like a toy in the gray-robed man's hands.

"You...you!??"

"How is this possible!"

"Who exactly are you?!"

This scene shocked the deputy leader, causing him to cry out in alarm. Cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead, as he realized that without the restraint of the brand mark...

The aura of death was overwhelming. The next moment, the deputy leader's feet left the ground, and Jiu You, who had flashed in front of him, grabbed his neck with one hand and lifted him up. The intense feeling of suffocation made him look at him with pleading eyes, but in response, there was only a "crack" from his neck, and then he was dead.

Upon witnessing the deputy leader's gruesome death, the elderly man who was the true leader of Gurasai, quick-wittedly spoke up:

“Friend! The Gurasai base is already yours. Killing me here is pointless. I can assist you and help you adapt to and take control of the base more quickly!”

"Also, I have connections with the leader of the Azure Base. I can act as a go-between for you. Everything is negotiable, very negotiable!"

The old man's words successfully stopped Jiu You's actions. Looking at the dragon girl who was so close, the old man felt a chill run down his spine and was almost scared to death. He took several deep breaths to calm down and was glad that he had "surrendered" early.

In the old man's view, seizing the base was nothing more than a matter of profit. As long as this gray-robed man wasn't out of his mind, he should know the principle of cooperation and win-win. With him, the former leader, around, he could better help the other party complete the transfer of power.

While the old man was still lost in thought, he suddenly realized that the mechanical maid next to the gray-robed man had already pointed her gun at him. Before he could even open his eyes wide and scream, she fired a shot.

Bang!

"The trash has been cleared." The maid reported to the gray-robed man, her master, after putting away the gun barrel.

Another nun approached Jiu You, and a beam of holy light shone down, rapidly healing the internal injuries Jiu You had sustained from resisting the branding marks. The dragon girl's complexion improved considerably.

“We already know about your situation, Jiuyou! We're glad you chose to join us. Oh, by the way! My name is Styutia! She is Zero!”

The dragon girl looked at the enthusiastic young nun who exuded a sense of closeness to her, but in the end, she turned her gaze to the gray-robed man who had remained silent throughout, observing the situation quietly.

Seeing Jiu You like this, Styutia, understanding her situation, said softly:

"Ash, that's Lord Ash."

"ash."

Chapter 259 Why... do we still need to go out?

As the fragments of light and shadow ended, Liao Ji and the dragon girl in his arms had also finished watching their first contract ceremony.

In fact, regardless of whether Jiu You existed or not, the Gula Sai base was something Liao Ji planned to conquer. However, when he went to gather information, he unexpectedly discovered Jiu You, a five-star character with great potential.

From Jiuyou's perspective at the time, however, it was as if the gray-robed man had directly attacked and conquered the entire Gurasai base for his own benefit.

Even for the dragon girl who was already dead, it would definitely cause her to have a great emotional fluctuation.

Although now, when Jiuyou looks back through Zero's records and sees her encounter with Lord Ash, she will realize that she was overthinking things and that she was indeed just an unexpected gain for Lord Ash.

Possible

So what?

Thinking of this, the Dragon Girl wrapped her arms around the young man's neck, as if she had transformed back into the clingy girl she used to be, but this time the object of her clinginess had changed from her mother to the young man.

Jiu You moved even closer to Liao Ji and whispered, "Thank you, Lord Ash."

"It was your contract that gave me a new life."

"Back then, Jiuyou had already sworn to repay you with this new life, and that for the rest of her life, Jiuyou would belong only to you."

The dragon maiden in his arms was not just a sweet talker. Liao Jineng remembered that after forming a contract with "them", Jiu You's initial loyalty was the highest among "them".

Even Styutia can't compare to her in this respect.

Even the young nuns were wary of her at first. Of course, in terms of the fastest increase in favorability and the effect of never decreasing favorability, only Styutia was the one.

The extremely high loyalty of Jiuyou in the early stages meant that Liao Jineng could use this character directly with complete peace of mind, without having to let her adapt to the settlement or raise her favorability.

At that time, he had just reached a major turning point in the game, from a place of nomadic life, a fleeting gathering place and a refuge, to having a base that truly belonged to him.

Besides the rapid development of his power, which brought a series of problems, Liao Ji also remembered that it gave him a real headache back then.

It was from this point that the characters' "infrastructure construction" abilities began to become increasingly important.

Styutia's efforts to improve public morale and increase public trust in her are somewhat insufficient here.

The "infrastructure characteristics" brought by Jiuyou play a huge role.

Liao Ji remembered that it should be

[Cold and authoritative - When appointing Jiu You as "Adjutant", grants the base +15% action points and +20% production efficiency]

Just like Styutia back then.

In games, it's just a string of numbers, but in the real world...

Liao Ji looked at the next fragment of memory.

"Hahaha! We won! We've won! We did it!"

"Oh my god! Am I dreaming? Did we really succeed?"

"Long live Lord Ash! I knew Lord Ash could do it!"

After taking over the Gurassa base from the Ash Gathering, many of those who had followed the Ash, whether survivors, troops, or high-ranking officials, were overjoyed.

On the faces of many people, one can see their longing for the future.

After all, everyone knows the principle that as the tide rises, so does every boat.

Now that the Ash Gathering Grounds have become the Ash Base, their positions will definitely rise accordingly, and their benefits and rights are expanding rapidly.

Just like many of the high-ranking members of the previous settlements, they probably lived in ordinary, dilapidated houses with other survivors. There was no other way; the resources of the settlements were limited at the time. Although there were different ranks, everyone suffered together.

But things are different now.

Within the Gurasai base, there are numerous mansions left behind by the previous high-ranking officials. Although many of them were destroyed in their night raids, a few remain. Their exquisite craftsmanship and luxury initially surprised, but later delighted, all the high-ranking officials of the Ash Gathering.

Most of the people who followed Ashes along the way were from humble backgrounds and the lower classes; some were even refugees and scavengers. They had never seen anything like this before.

For the first time, they realized that a house could have so much exquisite furniture, a dedicated bathing room, servants, potted plants, and entertainment.

The same applies to the lower-ranking soldiers.

In the past, they had to be on high alert every day, keeping a close watch to prevent attacks from the wandering monsters in the wilderness.

But it's different now.

With the base's tall walls, as long as you stay inside, unless you encounter a major catastrophe, no monsters will be able to get in.

Moreover, compared to the settlement, the base has abundant resources. As the victors, not to mention the rewards from Lord Ash, even the original inhabitants of the base have to treat them with utmost respect. Everyone knows that the base has changed owners, and no one dares to provoke them.

Therefore, even the lowest-ranking Ash Soldiers can thrive in the base, doing much better than they did in the wilderness.

Naturally, an idea appeared in the minds of many who had been following Ash, and even those who were loyal to Ash.

That is

Is that enough?

As long as they remain inside the walls, they can continue to enjoy a peaceful life, the kind of life they had dreamed of in the apocalypse.

In that case

Why do they still have to fight?

Why do we still need to?

Go outside?

Once such thoughts take root in one's mind, they spread like a plague, unstoppable.

Many soldiers began to refuse to leave the city, secretly having soldiers from the original Gurasai base take their place to carry out Lord Ash's patrols and dispatch missions, while they stayed in the rear, wanting to enjoy the fruits of victory.

Many of Ash's high-ranking subordinates began to be seduced by the former high-ranking officials of Grassa and assimilated into their ranks.