Kingdom’s Bloodline

"Master Putilei asked me to add some firewood for you, Your Highness." The recruit, Willow Ken, carried a bundle of firewood, and walked respectfully to Thales who was sitting by the fire.

Thales nodded blankly, thinking over and over again about King Nunn's proposal.

This was their last stop before entering Dragon Clouds City.

Behind them, under the urging of Putilei, Wyah and Rolf, including the veterans of Xingchen, were nervously inspecting their equipment.

The Heisha soldiers who set up camp are busy, while the White Blade Guards are still guarding around them like prison guards, all of them have vigilant eyes and unfriendly expressions.

It seems that there is a life-and-death enmity with them.

"Willow," the second prince said softly just as the recruits were about to leave and returned to the ranks: "After our journey started, have you ever been afraid, or at least nervous?"

Willow put down the firewood respectfully, and was stunned for a moment when he heard this.

"You know," Thales said slowly, "struggling with inexplicable dangers every day, worrying about the cold, worrying about fighting, worrying about the enemy, worrying about everything."

Willow froze for a moment, as if he didn't expect His Royal Highness to ask him such a question.

The recruit turned his head, thought carefully, and then replied: "I was very nervous at the moment before the battle. After all, I am not as calm as Uncle Genard, who was cut to the head with a knife."

"But I don't feel scared," Willow frowned, thinking carefully, and even forgot the respectful tone: "Although it's dangerous, I think it's much simpler..."

"Simple?" Thales asked.

"I mean, on the battlefield, everything is very fast: I stab the gun out, and there are only two outcomes, life and death, which is very good." Willow's eyes fell silent, and his expression was a little sad: "At least you worked hard. When the time comes, there will be rewards, and knowing how it will turn out—then don’t be afraid.”

Thales stared at the recruit's face carefully.

"Willow, who taught you how to use double guns? Parents and elders?" Thales put his hands on the fire to keep warm, and asked indistinctly, "Or some veteran who knows how to use double guns?"

Willow touched the double guns tied behind his back, scratching his face doubtfully.

"No one taught me, Your Highness." After confirming that His Highness was indeed just chatting, the recruit slowly shook his head: "As for my parents, they passed away eleven or two years ago."

twelve years ago.

Thales kept this number in his heart.

"So it's..." Thales said slowly.

"You know, the military disaster in the Northland..." Willow shrugged his shoulders, expressionless: "There is no food in the village, and my parents followed the people in the village and took the only things they had to go to the nearest village to exchange for food, but never again. did not return."

Thales raised his gaze.

"But I heard from the old man in the village that no matter whether you encounter the Extremists or our Xingchen army, it will not end well—the winner demands tribute, and the loser will directly plunder." Willow said desolately: " It was messy back then."

The two were silent for a few seconds.

"Then how did you survive?" Thales said silently.

"The gift of the mountains," Willow sighed, "although adults say it is a gift from the gods, only travelers can enjoy it."

"But my sister and I are both hungry and crazy." The recruit's face showed confusion: "And we are not the only ones who did this. At the end of that winter, even the most remote treetops were robbed."

The post-war famine in the north... Thales thought of Duke Aarond's hysteria in the Fuxing Palace.

"But after spring came, there was still not enough food, Your Highness. At that time, my sister was so hungry that she bit her finger..." Willow stared at the fire in a daze, struggling with memories: "Fortunately, the Mu River flows through our village. Follow everyone in the village and try our best to go fishing.”

"We don't know how to weave nets, and we couldn't borrow fishing nets at that time, and we couldn't find a place with fish."

"So I can only rely on the method of spearing fish when I was a child, and stay by the river every day... At the beginning, I always failed, and I couldn't find the fish. It was the other adults who shared the fish they caught with us.

Whenever I come home with fish, my sister is very happy..."

"Going out in the morning, looking at my sister's smiling face, but I don't know if I will gain enough today," Willow said in a low tone, "Many times your hard work is useless."

Thales exhaled: "But you still survived."

"Later, I gradually became proficient, and I was able to find fish schools." Willow looked down at his hands, frowning: "When the river layer freezes in winter, there will be more catches, and the fish schools are too cold. huddled together..."

"When you grow up, you can't just eat, you have to catch more fish, go to the market to exchange, and sometimes you can even get back copper coins."

"I started spearfishing with two hands, and after a while, I could even pierce through ice with one hand - so I always like to have an extra gun on the battlefield."

That's it, Thales sighed:

"But you responded to the call this time," the second prince said indifferently: "What about your sister? Stay at home?"

Willow's face darkened.

"No." The recruit tried to smile, but in the end, he could only show a bitter expression.

"She had typhoid fever last year, and we had no money and no place to buy medicine—only in big towns." Willow trembled. "I can only feed her hot water over and over again."

Thales frowned.

Kolya—the little girl suffering from typhoid fever appeared in front of her eyes.

"Finally, my sister said she wanted to eat fish."

"But when I come back..."

Willow fell silent, staring intently at the fire.

Thales didn't speak either.

After a few seconds, the two could only hear the voices of people around them and the explosion of the fire.

Until the desolate Willow spoke again:

"I buried her by the river."

The recruit blinked his eyes hard, as if some foreign body had invaded, only to hear him whisper:

"I wish there were fish in the Prison River, Your Highness."

Willow gave a substandard salute silently, then turned and left.

At this moment, Thales stopped the recruits.

"Willow."

"There are fish in the Hell River." The traverser looked at Willow who turned his head, and smiled: "I read it from a book."

————

"Are you worried about the upcoming things?" Puttilai stood beside Thales, looking at the backs of the departing recruits.

Thales, who was sitting by the fire, raised his head.

"Do you know, Putillai," Thales said in a daze, "The recruit said just now that he thinks life is very simple now."

Putillai raised an eyebrow.

"If you stab the gun out, there are only two outcomes, life and death. That's very good—this is what he said." Thales turned his head and said.

"But my life is very complicated," Thales said with a gloomy gaze, "it's so complicated that it makes me tired."

"I thought that the politics in the country of Xingchen would be complicated enough, but I didn't expect that Exeter, who is known for his boldness and boldness, is no less."

A grand duke with ulterior motives, a king bent on revenge, and a servant with a sharp tongue.

Everything didn't quite fit his imagination of Northland and Exeter.

In the snow and the cold wind, the hearty country where the toasts are intertwined.

"It's just the Northlanders who are rough and bold." Puttilai also sat down, took out his pipe, shook his head and said, "But what you are facing are those nobles, those rulers, those who hold power."

Thales frowned: "King Nun, Grand Duke Lunba, and the five grand dukes I'm about to meet, they are all from the Northland, too."

"They are another kind of creature." Puttilai lit his pipe and said silently: "Ordinary people live by food and air, but they live by power."

"The new recruit just now is also from the Northland. Although he is very humble, at least he doesn't have to live in fear and fear every step of the way," Thales said dullly: "As for those nobles and lords, don't you think that living like this Is it sad?"

"You occupy a more prominent position, and your every move involves a wide range and far-reaching impact," Puttilai breathed out a puff of smoke: "And this is the price and sacrifice of power."

"God, how long has it been since I regained my identity as a prince," the seven-year-old prince sighed like a little adult at the moment, "but I'm already a little tired of this kind of life."

Maybe I'm just not used to it.

he said silently.

Maybe this kind of life is longer, maybe this kind of experience is more...

Am I able to...?

"The life you are tired of is the dream of many people." Puttilai frowned, and replied to the previous contemptuous address: "Little prince, go and see the lives of common people, and see those whores who die for three meals a day." Busy people, think again about this sentence.”

"Think about the village before we entered the northern border...that bumbling baron and his subjects."

Thinking of Willow's experience, Thales snorted softly.

"Of course," Thales smiled wryly, "I hope I will have this opportunity to see the whole world and meet different people, whether it's two continents or countless islands."

"Then you have to prepare early, some places need..." At this point, Puttilai, who shook his head, was suddenly at a loss for words.

He remembered the identity of the child in front of him.

I'm afraid... He sighed silently in his heart: As the heir to the Star Throne, you...

Thales also realized his mistake.

"Ha, traveling around the world..." He smiled bitterly: "I'm afraid I will never have such an opportunity in my life, will I?"

Fight for the stars.

Die for the stars.

Born for the stars.

The two fell silent for a moment by the fire.

"You know," Thales said silently, "His Majesty Kessel is always very happy when he mentions his Uncle John."

"I suddenly knew why," Thales exhaled into his hands, and said, "John is like his eyes, going to corners he can't reach, traveling around the whole world."

Putilai exhaled lightly.

"Don't be depressed."

"You will eventually be king," the thin deputy envoy said calmly: "At that time, you will have a panoramic view of the vast world from another height, from an angle that we can't imagine."

Thales didn't speak, just stared blankly at the fire, and suddenly laughed out loud.

"It sounds boring," the traverser shook his head. "I mean, being a king—how could my grandfather last so long?"

Puttilai looked at Thales without moving his eyes for a long time.

"The king can also have a wonderful life," Puttilai observed Thales' expression, and said slowly: "The thirty-nine kings of the stars, each one is unique."

"And one of them has the most special experience... probably the most legendary star king since Tormund I."

"Oh?" Thales was aroused: "Who is it?"

"Are you interested in listening to me sing a bard, Your Highness?" Putilei took a puff of his pipe and said slowly.

"Of course," Thales's eyes lit up: "Gilbert said you were a bard? Have you traveled around many places?"

Bards...these are people who travel far and wide, making a living from singing psalms and doing small businesses.

But even in Yongxing City, Thales only saw him twice, and both were in the big market.

"Ah, bard... that's one of the talents I'm most proud of," Puttilai tapped his pipe, and said lightly: "Next, what I'm going to sing is—"When Dawn", a passage The story of the adventures of three friends."

Thales made a "please" gesture.

He cleared his throat first, hummed a few tunes, and found the sound.

Then, Mr. Deputy Envoy slapped the rhythm, and slowly sang a melodious and brisk song:

"When the sun rises again, when the dawn rises."

"The three of you go together in a hurry."

"We have known each other for many years, and we have a tacit understanding."

"Sword and axe, stick and lamp, faith and promise, righteousness and grace."

"Brothers are like one person, siblings are of the same mind."

"Step through the village, bathe in the moonlight, enter the castle, and cross the mountains."

"The secret place of elves, the hometown of dwarves, the lair of demons, the territory of monsters."

"Fleeing death, experiencing disaster, facing horror, never despairing."

"Adventures are in front of us, and experiences tell the past."

"Until the sun rises again."

"Until dawn."

Puttilai's singing gradually spread, attracting many soldiers to stop.

Marquis Shiles walked towards them lightly, while Nicolai in the distance frowned and looked at the fire.

Even Ada on the side raised his head.

Thales was thinking about the content of the poem, to the effect that the three friends with the deepest friendship had experienced many adventures and legends.

At this moment, Puttilai's tempo and tune suddenly changed, becoming deep and thick, disturbing:

"In the blood-red night, the sea is full of waves, and the enemy hides in the waves."

"The bloodthirsty king, the invincible commander, the flying night wings, the undead army, the wild army, the coveting eyes."

"Terrifying black shadows cover the sky and cover the sun, coming fiercely, and fierce enemies are indistinct, endless."

"The enemy in the east is ferocious and ferocious, plundering the ground and destroying the city wherever it goes."

"Xilu marches forward, and Yemu only hears the sound of crows on the battlefield."

"The north wind is cold, the king's sword is broken. The mountains mourn, and the knight's spear is broken."

"The blade is broken, the shield is wounded, the dragon bows its head, and the stars dim."

"Confusion and sorrow, despair and disaster."

"Frightened and trembling, death never ceases."

"Hope is lost, light is dead, and the only thing left is to live."

"The morning sun is hard to rise, and the darkness swallows the earth."

"Dawn does not wake up, and blood spreads across the sky."

Puttilai's tune finally sank to the deepest point.

The listener's emotions also drop to the lowest point.

Thales began to think about the meaning behind the poem.

Yeyi, Dongfang, Beifeng, mountains, giant dragon, stars, those words... should all have definite sources.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, and checked the marks one by one in his brain.

Puttilai's tune began to rise slowly

"When the goodness is about to die."

"When the future is no longer bright."

"In this darkest hour, in that midnight hour."

"The three siblings are finally on their way."

"Their adventures have become history, and the legend of Yingjie is at the right time."

"No turning back, no turning back."

"Until the sun rises again."

"Until dawn."

The next moment, Puttilai's tone suddenly became impassioned, as if the picture in the poem had changed its style:

"Blood everywhere, washing the prince's crown, keeping promises, and being generous and sincere."

"Midil already has the sword and shield in his hand."

"The dark night is deep, the eyes of the prophet are tested, the lost road, the only light in the hand."

"Kai Peng smiled and walked with his stick."

"Sacrifices are endless, sharpening the soul of a hero, alone, swearing in blood."

"Sara's horn blew all night long."

"Until the sun rises again."

"Until dawn."

More and more soldiers gathered around Puttilai and Thales.

Even Elf Ada walked slowly to their side.

Thales also brainstormed after hearing a few keywords.

He knew what scene the poem sang about.

Just listen to Putilei continuing to sing:

"The three of them work together, they can fight against the enemy together, and the brothers are united, and they can fight against death."

"The news spread all over the world, all over the land, people rekindled their confidence and gathered their flags."

"Courage is the bone, and hope is in the body."

"Brothers and feet together, work together."

"Sara's big ax cuts through the future, and Midir's sword and shield guards the left and right."

"Kai Peng's eyes penetrated everything and brought them to the final battlefield."

"The bloodthirsty king is staring at the tiger, and Kuiye's gang of murderers are all over the mountains."

"The flames of war are ignited, the battle horns sound, and the final battle begins."

"Until the sun rises again."

"Until dawn."

The singing stopped abruptly.

Puttilai slowly closed his mouth.

Thales looked up abruptly.

"Why did you stop?" He asked in a daze.

"The lower part is too long." Puttilai shook his head helplessly, and relit his extinguished pipe: "And my voice is not as good as before."

Moreover, the following story is not very pleasant - Puttilai secretly thought.

Marquis Shiles, who had arrived beside him at some point, slowly applauded.

Gradually, one, two, the soldiers who stopped to listen also applauded.

"Wonderful singing, beautiful singing voice," Shiles smiled, "Even in the Dragon Kiss Academy of the Principality of Anrenzo, such bards are probably rare!"

Puttilai bowed slightly to express his thanks.

"Go back to your post!" An untimely voice cut in halfway, and Nikolai the Meteor came striding forward, yelling at the soldiers in a bad tone: "Is the singing of the Starmen so nice? That's what the Heisha collars are like." Like art?"

Many soldiers shouted dissatisfaction, but most of them still scattered away.

"Do you have to attract so many eyes before you start?" After the soldiers dispersed, Nicolai stared at them with an ugly expression.

"Isn't that exactly what you want?" Thales shook his head: "Shouldn't you act like you're going to kill us?"

Nicolai took a step forward unceremoniously.

Ada who came over at unknown time stopped in front of him.

"Don't do that, kid," the elf said lazily, "I don't want to beat you up."

"Okay, okay," Marquis Shiles interposed between them with a smile, and from a distance, it seemed that Kang Masi's envoy stopped another conflict: "It's just a poem...and, What he sings is the legend that our Three Kingdoms are proud of, isn’t it?”

Nikolai stared at Shiles dissatisfied.

"A legend that the Three Kingdoms are proud of?" Thales' eyes lit up.

"Puttilai, among the three people you sang," Thales said with a bright look, "one is my ancestor, isn't it?"

"Yes," Puttilai took a deep breath, took another puff of tobacco, and smiled: "You must have seen his portrait in the Mindis Hall."

Thales narrowed his eyes.

In front of his eyes, in the "Three Kings of the Stars" in the Mindis Hall, the sturdy sword and shield warrior on the left stood in front of the towering tree, wearing a crown on his head.

Puttilai said lightly:

"The 'Oath Keeper' of the Star Kingdom."

"The twenty-third supreme king."

"Midir Canxing, the fourth Midir king in your family."

Thales suddenly realized: "Midir's copper coin... refers to him?"

Among Xingchen's standard currency, the back of the gold coin is engraved with the head of the founding monarch, Tormund I, while the silver coin is the "virtuous king" Mindis III, and the head on the copper coin is that Midil IV.

It happened to be the Three Kings of the Stars.

Puttilai nodded: "What is told in the Psalms is his legend."

"It's not just him," Marquis Shiles reminded with a smile, "Although he is also great, the oathkeeper is only one of the three."

Putila chuckled lightly.

"All right."

Under Thales' curious eyes, he added:

"Before becoming king, Prince Midil and his two friends, Sara from Exeter and Kaipen from Commas, went on an adventure together for ten years."

"Adventure?" Thales asked in surprise.

A future king, out on an adventure?

"Yes," Puttilai said with emotion, "their steadfast friendship and wonderful life are always talked about by future generations."

"'Hero' Sara, Western humans call him by the name of 'hero'. The only one who has received this honor in the millennium is the hero of the end battle, the founder of Exeter, Nakaru Ax."

"The 'Prophet' Kaipen Nehra, who predicts things like a god's military strategist, is said to be jealous of his wisdom even the gods, and he can even read people's hearts wherever he looks."

"'Oath Keeper' Midil Canxing, a noble prince, fearless Highness, a human model who willingly gave up the throne for the sake of friendship and oath."

Thales' heart trembled.

He couldn't help noticing that in front of these three names, Marquis Shiles remained silent, and even Nicolai looked serious.

Even Ada, who didn't care about anything, bowed her head silently.

Putilai exhaled lightly.

"This is the legendary three heroes of the Western Continent."

"And the brightest moments of their lives."

"The Battle of Dawn."