Kingdom’s Bloodline

Thales stared at the black ring with an ugly expression.

Belonging to the triumph of the "Poison Emperor".

He didn't know what emotion to use to face this matter.

That duel with ups and downs and a wonderful reversal at the end, that duel that can be said to be related to the fate of the two countries, actually...

"So," after a few seconds, he said with difficulty: "During the duel, you are... such a 'victorious'?"

King Nun smiled slightly, with cunning and pleasure in his eyes.

"As you said," he returned Thales' words to the second prince intact: "After all, it's about such a big country, what if something goes wrong?"

Thales' thoughts were in chaos.

He had just established in his heart, from that duel, the image of the heroic, heroic, old but heroic Nun VII.

It collapsed.

Instead, there is an old king who is scheming and full of cunning, twirling the ring behind the long table.

"Remember, little Thales," King Nunn said meaningfully: "A king should never be hot-headed, replace reason with impulse, and resort to unsure gambles just for pleasure—you are not only yourself, or the whole country."

Thales ignored his words, his brain was spinning rapidly at the moment.

It took a long time for Thales to recover from the shock, and tried his best to grasp a few clues from his chaotic thoughts.

According to his understanding of the Northland along the way, once this secret is revealed, King Nun will become a target of scolding by thousands of people.

This is enough to ruin the reputation of the Walton family, end the rule of Dragon Clouds City, and even endanger the dignity of the entire Kingdom of Exeter and all people in the North.

but……

Thales turned his head, looked at the silent King Nunn with a complex expression, and said in disbelief: "Why did you tell me?"

Shouldn't this be a top secret that will rot forever in the belly and be carried into the grave?

"Do you know how serious this secret is?" Thales felt his heart beat faster,

Unconsciously, he squeezed his fist lightly.

However, King Nun just looked at Thales unhurriedly, showing a happy smile - without the slightest serious nervousness after being known.

"Of course," King Nuen snorted slightly, and said indifferently: "This is the biggest stain on the way of the Northland, even disrespect to the gods, and contempt for the princes."

"Even the humblest Northlanders will despise their once favorite king for this matter - once the new king ascends the throne, he can even use this reason to expel the Walton family from the ranks of the grand duke forever .”

After speaking, King Nun narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at Thales with a deep expression.

"Now, you know the secret, don't you?" the king said playfully.

Thales frowned, facing King Nun's eyes, his doubts and unease getting deeper and deeper.

"Your Majesty Nuen, you, what do you want to do?"

At that moment, Thales felt that the old man in front of him was like a dark whirlpool, bottomless.

And he himself is like a flat boat in the whirlpool.

After a few seconds.

"It's a matter of sincerity."

The old king said lightly.

"Sincerity?" Thales repeated in doubt.

King Nun scooped up a glass of wine and took a sip leisurely.

"I gave a bargaining chip," King Nuen said with a calm expression and a calm tone:

"And as long as you hold this bargaining chip, you can destroy the Walton family at any time."

"What do you mean?" Thales' confusion continued unabated.

At this moment, King Nuen's words changed again.

"Before, you seemed to have mentioned it to Nicolai," King Nun didn't care about Thales' expression, he said softly:

"After you cooperate with me to find the black hand, do you want to ask me for some benefits?"

Thales frowned and gritted his teeth slightly.

"This is your so-called benefit?" Thales asked with some difficulty.

"Of course not, how can this be a good thing?" King Nuen said with a smile: "It will only make you uneasy—especially when you are still in Dragon Clouds City, within the scope of my rule—for this secret, you will Always worry about your own safety.”

Thales took a deep breath, only feeling his mouth and tongue were dry.

His mood at the moment can be described as sitting on pins and needles.

"The Dragonlance family is never stingy," the old king put away his smile, and his words only made Thales feel chills: "So, after meeting yesterday afternoon, are you satisfied with your 'reward'?"

Thales looked up abruptly.

"Yesterday afternoon?" Thales frowned.

"Yes," King Nuen looked at him deeply, "Yesterday afternoon."

The expression on Thales' face changed.

yesterday afternoon.

After he came out of the chamber, he got lost in the Palace of Heroes, and then...

Then.

"Why, do you think a foreign prince has just arrived?" Under Thales' unbelievable gaze, the old king stroked the ring on his hand and said slowly:

"Can you wander freely and unrestrainedly in my Palace of Heroes?"

King Nun glanced at Thales, his eyes flashed sharply: "And you just happened to visit Nakaru's library?"

There was a thump in Thales' heart, and he was stunned in place numbly.

"That's what Michael led you there on purpose," King Nunn said calmly:

"So you have met my granddaughter, Thales."

The next second, Thales sat blankly on the steps, listening to the calm and at ease King Nun whisper:

"Your future wife..."

"And the queen."

The hall fell silent again.

Thales froze in place dumbfounded.

In his mind, the scene in the library appeared.

The unruly and willful little princess who beat and scolded her servants at will, Alex Walton.

But then there was another more impressive figure—that scruffy little girl with black-rimmed glasses, dusty face, lying on the ground reading a book.

Little cunning.

King Nuen didn't speak any more, he took another sip of wine in a calm manner.

Thales took a full minute to sort out the current situation.

"Why, what's going on?" Thales was short of breath, and he raised his head: "What do you mean?"

King Nun took a breath and looked up at the fireplace on the other side of the hall.

Looking at the ledge on the fireplace, the hideous weapon passed down to the Walton family from the hero Nakaru.

Killing Soul Gun.

"Among the lies you told Olsius and the others, at least one sentence was correct," King Nun's eyes were burning with unknown emotion:

"For the continuation of Walton..."

The old king turned his head, his sharp eyes fixed on Thales, with a firm expression:

"I must bet on a strong man, a future king."

Thales' face was pale, and his fists were clenched more and more tightly.

He suddenly figured out something.

King Nun didn't speak, he was waiting for Thales' response.

"The Walton family is dying," Thales said silently after a while:

"You want to force the Canxing royal family and the Star Kingdom to preserve the continuation of the Dragonlance family by means of marriage?"

"You want me to marry your granddaughter," Thales unconsciously raised his tone:

"Let me, let Star Kingdom take over this burden?"

King Nun squeezed his wine glass and looked at the soul-killing gun.

He snorted softly, seemingly in disapproval.

"No," the king's old voice sounded again: "What I give you is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"A bargaining chip that cannot be refused."

Thales was shocked all of a sudden.

"Think about what you can get." King Nuen's eyes were full of depth and coldness:

"As the blood relatives of the Grand Duke's family of Dragon Clouds City, the supreme royal family of Xingchen..."

"From then on, I can intervene in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Exeter."

At that moment, Thales felt a chill in his heart.

"One of the descendants of you and my granddaughter will inherit Walton's surname and rights and become the future Grand Duke of Dragon Clouds City," King Nuen said in a cold tone, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him:

"And you, Thales Canxing, you will do what neither the oathkeeper Midil IV nor the hero Sara can do."

"You will become the supreme king of the Star Kingdom..." King Nuen's face remained unchanged, and he said something that upset Thales:

"And also the regent of Dragon Clouds City, the first territory in the Kingdom of Exeter."

Thales stared at King Nuen in a trance.

Even if he has a memory that is incompatible with other people in this world, even if his brain is running crazily, he can't immediately react to the news.

"And before that," the old king's face became more serious than ever before:

"If you still want to hold the bargaining chip of the Walton family, and still want to use Dragon Clouds City to restrain the Kingdom of Exeter..."

Thales let out a sigh of relief, and took over King Nun's words:

"Star Kingdom and I must do our best to ensure the Walton family's rule and status in Dragon Clouds City, and to protect the Dragonlance family from dying out in Exeter, right?"

King Nun showed a satisfied smile.

"If the future new king intends to deprive the Walton family of their rights on the grounds of 'no male heir', he will have to weigh it carefully," Nunn VII continued:

"The attitude of that Western Shield in the south—he moved your cheese."

King Nun showed firm eyes: "What you need to do is to highlight the existence of the stars and maintain the rule of the Walton family—even if there is only one little girl left, and no matter how much the other grand dukes oppose her—they can be in the In the future, I will reap the biggest bargaining chips and advantages when facing Exeter."

"This can also strengthen the weight and status of the Canxing family in the country, and increase the prestige of the royal family - given your current situation."

Thales suddenly remembered the conversation between Gilbert and Selina Corleone when he first arrived at Mindis Hall, when Gilbert used tricks to make him a covenant with Serena Corleone.

"Using the bundle of interests to win allies," Thales unconsciously repeated Gilbert's words in a low voice: "This is the essence of politics."

"I can live another eight or nine years. At that time, the stars should initially recover." King Nuen nodded approvingly: "After that, the last direct descendant of the Walton family, my granddaughter, your wife... ..."

"I'll leave it to you for protection."

Thales didn't make a sound for a long time.

marriage.

Star and Exeter.

Canxing and Walton.

"What if I say 'no'?" He raised his head coldly and looked at King Nuen: "What if I don't want to be drawn into this dangerous quagmire?"

"Dancers with dragons often have their lives hanging by a thread, and," the second prince said indifferently, "so far, those who have tried to ally with me have either caused me to suffer miserably, or were harmed by me miserably."

And—Thales recalled what Jann Cavendir had said to him the day he set off north—and if he was on a boat with jackals, he would be in danger of capsizing.

King Nun stared at him, with strange and indistinguishable colors in his blue eyes.

Thales looked at the king without showing any weakness.

"It has nothing to do with your wishes," finally, the old king nodded slowly:

"The raven carrying the king's warrant will fly to Eternal Star City tomorrow—your father will decide on this matter."

Thales trembled involuntarily.

"What if he...my father doesn't agree either," Thales gritted his teeth and heard his hoarse voice: "Don't agree to bring the stars into this quagmire?"

"Oh, this," the old king replied indifferently, "I gave you the secret of 'Triumph', didn't I?"

Thales shrank his pupils and stared at him blankly.

"Xingchen can use this bargaining chip to destroy the Walton family at any time—this is enough to win his trust," King Nunn spoke slowly in his old and powerful voice:

"When you find a treasure, you might consider it a trap and give it up, but when you have the ability to destroy it at the same time...will you still be persuaded by your own concerns and choose to give it up?"

Thales was speechless for a moment.

Facing such a King Exeter and facing such a situation, even though he is as exquisite as him, he still feels "overwhelmed".

His intuition also told him—King Kessel would definitely agree to such a covenant.

"But the effectiveness of the bargaining chip 'Triumph' will gradually fade with your death," Thales took a deep breath, and followed the words of the old king:

"The benefits of using 'Triumph' will become smaller and smaller. In comparison, Kessel...my father will definitely be more inclined to the benefits that marriage can bring, and tend to support Woer more vigorously. Walton, secure Walton's position..."

"And harvest a nail nailed into the Dragon Kingdom, changing the decline of the Star Kingdom after the Bloody Year!" King Nun raised his eyebrows, scooped up a glass of wine from the barrel, and poured it down his throat.

"I guess the nobles in Exeter will not be happy," Thales said dejectedly:

"Including every Grand Duke."

"Of course not—everyone of them can't wait to see Walton go down." King Nunn's eyes flashed brightly. He put down his wine glass and wiped his mouth.

"But I am the king of Exeter, and I will remove the last obstacle for our cooperation," King Nun replied calmly: "The men of service age in Dragon Clouds City will not be able to do so in the next few years. It will be calm - getting rid of Rumba is just the beginning."

Thales figured it out instantly.

From Nicolai's temptation to the so-called "test" given to him by the king.

"So," Thales sighed at this point, "You have already calculated everything."

"Don't confuse me with those scumbags and shady conspiracies," King Nuen snorted dissatisfiedly: "This is not a conspiracy, but—to use a Far Eastern word—a conspiracy that you cannot refuse." .”

"Yes," Thales lowered his head, and an unspeakable sense of loss rose from the bottom of his heart: "All these calculations, plots, and plots...or something like that."

"You're all good at this."

Just like the first time he saw the King of Kessel in Mindis Hall, Thales once again felt the helplessness and powerlessness of having fate and choices firmly in the hands of others.

That sense of powerlessness that drifts with the tide and blows with the wind.

King Nun watched him quietly.

After a while, under the light of the fire, the old king spoke slowly.

"You are a special child, Thales," King Nun sighed, with a clear sense of vicissitudes in his voice: "I can feel it—you have the sharpness and firmness of Suriel at the same time, and the sharpness and firmness of Mosul." unrealistic."

Sharp and firm.

unrealistic.

"Hmph, thank you for the compliment," Thales replied wearily, and chuckled: "I think, you probably think the latter is the majority?"

Talking about the two dead sons, King Nun took a breath and let it out slowly.

"You are not weak, Thales, even if you are only this young," the old king said earnestly: "From my observation of you, and from what Nikolai and the others reported - you are a survivor, have the ability to become All the qualities of a strong man, but what you need is time and tempering."

King Nun clenched his fingers into a fist and knocked on his left heart: "And a heart that is hard enough, cold, and unwavering."

A hard, cold, unwavering heart?

Thales frowned, he couldn't bear it anymore, and asked with his mouth open: "Don't you feel tired? The court, the country, the Grand Duke, plots, tricks, assassinations, all of these...God knows what the hell is still waiting looking at you."

Escaped from Hongfang Street... until now.

Magician, Blood Bottle Gang, Blood Race, Iris, Black Prophet, Six Giants, Exeter...

Faced with malice, crises, and heart-wrenching plots and calculations time and time again.

Even though Thales struggled again and again during the period, he felt that he was almost reaching his limit.

This rhythm of life exhausted Thales physically and mentally—even his life as a beggar in an abandoned house did not give him such a feeling of "difficult road ahead".

"I guess," Thales hesitated at this point, but still blurted out: "If Prince Moral is really the kind of person Peifit said, he will also feel tired."

King Nuen's expression slowly froze, with deep emotions rolling in his eyes.

There was silence for a few seconds.

"It's normal for you to feel tired, everyone will be tired." King Nuen finally spoke slowly.

"But for us, when you feel tired, want to stop, or even want to give up, you will feel..." He clutched his injured shoulder and took a rough breath in the pain: " Pain."

"Whether it's the pain of being caught in the tide, unable to control yourself, or the pain that the enemy gives you when they see you are weak and deceitful."

King Nun pursed his lips, as if he was recalling something:

"The pain that goes deep into the bone marrow pushes you back to the tired battlefield, and continues to go back and forth in fatigue and pain until you get used to it all."

"This is something we are born to bear, not just us," the old king continued with a blank expression:

"Before he became Grand Duke, Olesius was poisoned twice by his half-brother; Trudida married the daughter of a mountain tribe leader, and only opened up a piece of land in the Mountain of Sighs for his barren Tower of Reconstruction. Wasteland; the old bald Lecco once reluctantly married his youngest daughter to Commas in order to maintain finances, until she died in a foreign land in a miserable way; Ronnie personally ordered the execution of six domineering earls in the territory on the day he became the Grand Duke He and the Viscount were the people his father trusted the most during his lifetime; and Luba was a ruthless existence who stabbed his sword into the heart of his brother in front of everyone and seized the position of Grand Duke—but they were all in pain again and again. Return tired and tired."

"Are you too? Returning from pain and fatigue?" Thales lowered his eyes: "Like your son?"

For a full ten seconds, King Nuen did not speak.

"Do you know Suriel, my eldest son, the man who is most likely to inherit this seat?" After a silence, King Nuen raised his head and stared at the prestigious soul-killing gun: "He died twelve years ago .”

Thales was slightly taken aback.

"Alex... Miss's father?" He asked cautiously while hesitating: "I heard from Lord Michael that he died in a hunting accident..."

"No." This time, King Nuen quickly interrupted the second prince, his face was livid: "The accident is just our public statement."

Thales frowned slightly, and held his breath again.

"During the hunt, he was assassinated with ulterior motives," the old king said in a normal tone: "To be precise..."

"Assassins from your stars."

Hearing this, Thales was shocked.