Kingdom’s Bloodline

The sun is shining brightly.

At the south gate of Dragon Clouds City, a group of knights arrived at their destination.

When the thin man stepped into this famous city standing tall in the Northland again, and saw the bustling people at the city gate, he could only feel endless emotion in his heart.

Even after going through that disaster, Dragon Clouds City still looks majestic, majestic, rough and shocking, even the quarrels of passers-by are full of sonorous voices.

those days...

But he still forcibly suppressed the surge of thoughts in his heart, and looked away from the towering Nakaru statue.

He still has work to do.

The thin man lowered his head, raised the rein and urged the horse.

The thin man said calmly to the dozen or so knights behind him, "Get ready, we have a long slope to climb."

The knights seemed to be used to his indifferent tone, they didn't say a word, just followed silently.

This is a low-key team, without any flags, decorations, or badges that indicate their identity, only the luggage and sundries on the horses, and the hurried expressions on everyone's faces.

The few people inside obviously came to Dragon Clouds City for the first time, looking around in amazement.

"This is Dragon Clouds City?" A young attendant asked doubtfully, "Didn't it mean that it was almost destroyed by a disaster? How come it is so complete?"

"It was rumors that destroyed Dragon Clouds City, not a disaster," the thin man replied easily: "Wash your mind well, Mark."

A few minutes later, a northern noble with a military look came up to meet them with a few cavalry. After a brief meeting, he led them directly out of the queue to enter the city and entered the city.

They walked across the open space in front of the city gate and started up the slope.

"I'm really flattered that the chief defense officer came to greet us in person," the thin man said indifferently, "Viscount Reston."

"Unfortunately, Your Excellency the Grand Duchess is in the Hall of Heroes. Today is her hearing day, and the Regent of Lisbane is also inside." The Northland noble named Reston looked very capable and courageous. With his few gestures, he began to operate in an orderly manner.

I saw him nodding slightly to the thin man right away:

"His Excellency Lord Puti Raineman, who came all the way from the Star Kingdom.

"

The lord of the stars, Putilei, nodded in response.

The Viscount Reston, the trusted old subordinate of the Earl of Lisbane, remained as the Dragon Clouds City garrison officer after the Grand Duchess succeeded to the throne. Looking at the dusty star people, he nodded slightly: "But I think, you must want to Let's meet the prince first."

Xingchen's entourage looked at each other, with anticipation and curiosity in their eyes.

that prince.

The legendary second prince.

"That's right," Puttilai said with a smile on his thin face in the lively streets of Beidi, "Please take us directly to the Blood Garden."

Reston raised his eyebrows slightly.

Garden of Blood...

"Of course, the Garden of Blood, the most remote and dilapidated corner of the Palace of Heroes, is home to a special guest," Leston sighed softly, "Please follow me."

His Excellency the Viscount frowned and waved his hand, a messenger immediately knew to set off, and a dozen seconds later, a patrol team in front of them immediately changed direction and headed towards the Palace of Heroes to open the way.

"You are a sensible person. I admire the former receptionist who is not like you." Puttilai nodded approvingly, and took out his pipe.

Viscount Reston snorted and rode side by side with Puttilai.

"The former receptionist?"

Leston curled his lips: "I heard that after he secretly obstructed the mission from contacting the prince, he was found to have close contacts with an earl of the black sand collar."

"That's why I came up on my own this year," Leston coughed with a bad face, "after he was hanged and coughed and replaced."

Putilei took a puff of cigarette, watched the changes of the smoke circle immediately, and said with emotion: "Thank you for understanding our anxiety."

"Happy to help," Leston nodded thoughtfully, "This is Dragon Cloud City after all, not Black Sand City."

Putilei narrowed his eyes and said, "King Charman will still send a special envoy to 'consolate'?"

When it comes to raising the king together, Viscount Reston showed disgust and disdain on his face: "Three times a year, never late."

"If possible, he probably even wants to buy the ravens flying over Dragon Clouds to monitor our every move." Reston glanced at the Palace of Heroic Spirits on the side of the mountains: "Especially those two whereabouts."

Puttilai spit out a smoke ring: "But I heard that your king has encountered serious trouble recently?"

"Isn't that so?" Reston snorted lightly, seeming very happy: "Since the coronation, Charmain Rumba's troubles have never stopped."

Hearing that name, the faces of Xingchen's entourage tightened, and they immediately pricked up their ears, paying attention to the new king who had not ruled in Exeter for a long time.

"Half a month ago, the four grand dukes in the north and the west led a boycott against the king's persecution of the nobles in the territory. In the name of the co-governance oath, they called for tax resistance to support those deprived of their titles in Heisha. Leading the old nobles and calling others to join them in opposing the king's atrocities, I heard that the momentum is huge."

The Viscount Reston raised the corner of his mouth.

certainly.

Why not just save a sum of expenses confidently and see the king's distressed situation?

"I suspect that Dragon Cloud City will receive an invitation to sign their joint letter of condemnation soon," Leston exhaled softly, "You know, the reputation of 'Kinslayer' is already bad enough .”

"Charmain the Kinslayer," Puttilai whistled, "it's really mean to call your own king like that."

"I heard it was 'Long-haired' Ronnie from Qiyuan City who first called it that," the garrison officer smiled happily, "It can be called the worst king nickname in the history of Exeter. Jacob I, whose aunt was the queen, was only called the 'corrupter'."

Putilei chuckled lightly, noncommittal.

Bad reputation...

But it doesn't mean the means are bad.

"I heard that Xingchen's country is not stable?"

"I heard that the southwest plague, which was finally subdued, is showing signs of recurrence," Viscount Reston naturally transitioned the topic, "And King Kessel has sent three waves of standing troops to the Blades?"

Puttilai slightly narrowed his eyes: "The old wound is too deep, and it is not so easy to heal."

"Just like you."

Leston and Putilai looked at each other, and Long and Xingchen nodded thoughtfully.

A group of people walked through the bustling Dragon Wing Square, through the messy bow area, through the ax area and the spear area where the upper-class people lived, and went straight to the upper city of Dragon Clouds City.

Finally, the first city gate separating the Ax District and the Palace of Heroes appeared in front of this group of people.

Puttilai looked at the towering city gate and sighed again.

The Viscount Reston negotiated with the patrols guarding the city gate with a serious face for a few minutes before the stars were let into the city gate.

Immediately, a lot of patrol soldiers came forward with unkind faces, and checked them from body search to luggage, which made many star people feel dissatisfied.

"Don't be impatient, this is a necessary procedure. There is a gift for the Grand Duchess in that box, please handle it with care."

Puttilai habitually raised his hands and waited for the body search, while comforting the stars who were in a bad mood, asking them to endure the murderousness and brutality of the northerners, and then said to Reston who was waiting: "It seems that your Security protection has improved a lot.”

Leston's face tightened.

"Three passwords have been added, and a lot of outposts have been built in front. Even the emergency warrant issued by the Grand Duchess herself has corresponding insurance measures. We even started to try to recruit special abilities that are rarely seen in the Northern Army. It is said that it was a suggestion from that prince," Reston's tone became very blunt, as if he was suppressing something: "The city gate is always a strong wall that separates danger."

"The story of being tricked into opening the city gate by a famous high-ranking officer and a soldier insider will not be repeated again."

Putilai sighed in response.

Finally, after a complicated search, Xingchen's group passed the city gate and came to the open space in front of the Palace of Heroes.

Putilai looked at the eight big stoves in front of the palace gate with mixed emotions, which were both familiar and unfamiliar. Thinking of the scene of that little figure walking into the palace gate alone, he couldn't help sighing.

Squads of palace guards watched them sullenly on patrol.

They dismounted and let the guards take the mounts away.

"The Garden of Blood is here, please follow me." Viscount Reston led them away from the magnificent gate of the Palace of Heroes, and walked into a remote corridor.

The road under their feet became narrower and narrower, and even overgrown with weeds, but the number of guards on the road gradually increased.

"How is he doing?" Puttilai looked at the guards passing by with complicated emotions.

Star people's attention was attracted by this question.

Reston frowned.

How are you doing?

this problem……

"Everyone has a different evaluation of him," Your Excellency the Vindicator carefully selected the words: "But let me say..."

"The prince is very quiet."

The men and horses of the stars nodded to each other: this is in line with their judgment of the prince's youth and maturity.

Only Putilei was taken aback: "How to say?"

that guy...

Puttilai thought of the image of the little adult who talked eloquently and made people speechless from time to time.

Quiet?

He felt incredible.

"Most of the time, he sits quietly and reads a book by himself, sometimes he talks to himself or even reads aloud in a low voice. The guards..."

"He goes out of the palace to play chess in the Spear District every month. He likes to stay in the box and play chess with himself. He sits for hours at a time, until the followers remind him: the Grand Duke's personal guards need to eat..."

"He doesn't care much about the disputes in Longxiao City. No matter if it's a court banquet or a hunt, he refuses it even if the nobles' eyes are fixed on him. On the contrary, he is very familiar with the servants in the palace. I heard that he likes to smile very much. They even say hello when they see a raven."

"There are a lot of teachers who taught him and His Excellency the Grand Duchess, and half of them failed to hold on for two months, saying that they 'couldn't agree with the prince's style'. The Earl of Lisbane had a headache..."

"Ah," Puttilai shook his head ironically, "I'm here to solve this problem."

The Viscount of Reston had a strange expression on his face:

"But his relationship with the Grand Duchess is very good. The two of them often stay in the library from morning to afternoon, which has made him a lot of enemies among the nobles in Dragon Clouds City," Leston said in a low voice. : "The Earl of Lisbane is very dissatisfied with him for this."

Not only that.

It also attracted a lot of dissatisfaction and protests for the Grand Duchess.

Reston said silently.

Puttilai knew it well, and nodded slightly.

After passing through countless porches and numerous guards, they finally came to a dilapidated and old three-story building with almost no hall. There were still many palace guards standing there, scanning them with vigilant and fierce eyes. .

"It's like being in prison... You know, there are guards everywhere..." a star attendant whispered to his companion.

A guy who was obviously the leader stepped out of the palace guards. He was tall, with sharp eyes, and a long knife on his waist.

The Viscount of Reston greeted the captain of the guard.

"Lord Justin," the Viscount nodded politely, stretched out his hand to the stars behind him, and introduced, "This is..."

The former deputy commander of the White Blade Guard, Lord Justin, who once defended the court under the attack of the black sand leader, nodded with a flat expression, and looked around the guest:

"Putti Laneman, I know him."

Puttilai smiled: "Nice to meet you, I think..."

But Lord Justin obviously didn't like talking too much, he still had no expression on his face, and interrupted Puttilai straight to the point: "I know why you're here."

"He's in the backyard, come with me."

Puttilai smiled slightly, thanking him for his understanding.

"I'll wait for you here," Reston stood there with his hands behind his back, and nodded with his lips pursed. "The Grand Duchess will have to take charge of the administration for a while."

With anticipation, Xingchen's entourage looked at each other, followed Puttilai through the first floor of the small building, and came to the backyard.

Even under the sunshine, the backyard covered by tree canopies still looks gloomy and dilapidated, as if no one has lived in it for a long time: the floor tiles are uneven, the roots are covered with broken stones, the pale trunks and cracks The walls of the courtyard are almost connected together, the walls are desolate, and shadows are everywhere, rendering an ominous atmosphere in the air, which makes people feel melancholy when they see it.

A dozen or so soldiers who looked like Starmen stood in the dilapidated courtyard, guarding the entrance and exit.

A Xingchen youth in his twenties saw them from a distance, his eyes lit up immediately, and he rushed to greet them.

"Oh, this is really a surprise." The young man was tall and straight, with an ordinary face, but he had a pair of sharp eyes: "Your Highness said... I thought you would arrive in a week."

When the young man came in front of Putilei, Xingchen's attendants couldn't help noticing that he had a long sword without a scabbard buckled around his waist, which was sharpened on one side.

"Nice to meet you," Putillai breathed out a puff of smoke without hesitation, raising his eyebrows: "Aide of Wyakaso."

Hearing this surname, Xingchen's visitors cast strange glances at Huai Ya.

It turned out that it was the "cunning fox"...

But the prince's attendant didn't seem to like this kind of gaze, he turned sideways to let out the scene behind him.

The guests were first attracted by the strange man leaning against the wall with his arms folded: he had short light-colored hair, and a silver mask covered the area from throat to nose, revealing only his tattooed face. The upper half of the face looked at the people with a cold and vigilant look, as if they were intruders.

It makes people quite uncomfortable.

He is probably not very friendly, many people think so.

"boom!"

There was a muffled sound.

The star guest's eyes immediately shifted to the source of the sound, facing the two people who were practicing swordsmanship.

What caught the eye was the seven or eight-year-old boy.

I saw him holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, sweating profusely, but gritted his teeth resolutely.

Withstood the attack of the guard in front of him again and again.

"Raise your arms, pay attention to the ups and downs of my shoulders, predict the next attack, and defend in time..." The guard who was training with him was not tall, and he lowered his body deliberately to take care of the boy's body. Movement and height, the wooden sword knocked his knuckles from time to time, forcing the boy back.

"boom!"

There was another muffled sound, and the boy fell to the ground in embarrassment.

He bit his lower lip, wiped off the sweat from his head, rubbed his sore knee, and looked at the guard with dissatisfaction: "Does it have to be like this?"

"Stand up!" The guard shook his head, his tone was serious and uncompromising: "Raise your sword!"

Huai Ya frowned, looking at the seven or eight-year-old boy, it seemed that he couldn't bear it, but in the end he hesitated to speak.

Puttilai beside him squinted his eyes, staring at the training on the field.

Everyone in Xingchen stretched their necks one after another, looking at the little boy on the ground who gritted his teeth and suffered but had a tough expression.

That is……

The only prince of the stars?

The one who is in an enemy country as a hostage, uses his life to maintain the peace between the two countries...

But……

The visitors looked at the boy who was knocked down by a sword, and their hearts were darkened.

The little prince looked at his hands and legs, sighed heavily, and got up listlessly: "But this is too exaggerated..."

"If you still want to inherit your father's position and take over his heavy responsibilities, isn't it necessary?" The guard's words came sternly from behind the helmet, which sounded scary, and the people watching the battle shook their heads one after another: "Sharp A sharp blade may tear flesh, but in unsteady hands you cannot cut even the weakest reed!"

The prince, who was still a weak boy, could only take a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, he refocused and raised his sword and shield.

Many bystanders showed unbearable expressions, and many of them glanced at the newcomer Putilei with strange expressions.

The sparring starts again.

"You know the essentials of this set of swordsmanship." Although the instructor-like guard was strict, he still dutifully taught the boy and guided his movements: "Steady steps, but not too tight, and control your center of gravity. It's especially important in transition..."

However.

"boom!"

For the third time, the strong but weak boy fell to the ground hard, and the wooden sword fell to the ground.

There is no way to fight back.

Behind Puttilai, Xingchen's entourage looked at each other in disappointment, and turned their eyes away from the boy.

Apparently, His Royal Highness is not very talented in martial arts, to the extent that he doesn't know anything about it...

Let them be full of anticipation and become a little complicated.

If this is the future of Star Kingdom...

"Enough," Huai Ya, who was watching, couldn't bear it anymore, the prince's attendant folded his arms, and said dissatisfiedly to the boy's instructor: "He's only eight years old!"

Rolf, who was leaning against the wall, whistled softly and made a gesture that no one else could understand.

The little prince on the ground took a deep breath, clenched his hands, and punched the ground hard, but still looked at his instructor unwillingly.

"Eight years old?"

The guard snorted coldly, and he looked down at the boy.

"When I was his age, the enemies I faced were far less benevolent. I will give you a second chance to stand up no, the twelfth time!"

The little prince who stood up turned pale.

"You don't need me to tell you how special your identity is."

The guard's words were merciless, and the boy with special status was a little embarrassed and ashamed.

But the boy was still unconvinced: "But I'm smarter than them..."

"It's not a question of being smart or not!"

The guard's voice became more severe:

"Every one of your opponents is much older, more powerful, and much more experienced than you! Without a strong will and a strong body, how will you set foot on the highest position in the future, how will you control the entire world?" entire……"

at this moment.

"Your Highness!"

A loud shout resounded throughout the audience, even attracting the attention of the palace guards in the distance.

The arena was silent.

Puttilai took a step forward, patted Wyatt on the shoulder, and signaled him to back away.

The guests of Xingchen all looked at the leader of their trip, expecting him to bring some changes to the seemingly frail prince.

After all, that is the future of Star Kingdom...

The seven or eight-year-old boy noticed Puttilai's arrival, and he scratched his head in embarrassment.

The onlookers all looked strange when they saw this scene.

The thin Lord Lord looked at the field with sharp eyes.

A second later, he sighed softly.

"Your Highness, don't make trouble anymore," Putilei put away his serious expression and said helplessly with meaningful eyes, "Be more mature."

"It's time for you to grow up."

The boy blinked and looked around apprehensively, as if a little scared.

After a few seconds.

The guard in front of "Prince" moved slightly and dropped the wooden sword in his hand.

He straightened up and turned his head.

The guard pulled his shoulders, and with the crackling of joints, he took off the arm guard and gloves: "Ah, you are still the same, and you don't have a good sense of humor."

A vague voice came from behind the helmet, as ugly as a duck's voice.

The people around, whether it was Rolf or Wyah, looked at the "guard" helplessly.

Puttilai rubbed his forehead, only to feel that his head was as big as a bucket.

Xingchen's new entourage looked at each other in amazement, unable to react for a while.

I saw that stern "guard" took off his helmet, revealing a handsome face of thirteen or fourteen years old.

The boy under the helmet shook his sweaty face, stepped forward, threw the helmet aside to Rolf, and smiled heartily at Putilei, who was half a head taller than him.

Under everyone's eyes, the real second prince of the Star Kingdom, the young Thales Canxing, like an ordinary man from the North, punched Putilei's shoulder readily.

"Long time no see, Putillai."

Putilai, who was knocked back a step, shook his head helplessly: "Fortunately, they also said that you are 'quiet'."

What a "quiet prince" indeed.

Thales laughed loudly, patted Puttilai on the shoulder, and showed a fresh and relaxed smile to the people behind him, which made people feel full of intimacy.

"My friends from my hometown," the prince said loudly, beating his chest happily, "Welcome to Beidi!"

Under the stunned expressions of the attendants, Puttilai gritted his teeth with a headache, and pouted his mouth: "What's the matter with that boy?"

Thales patted his head and turned around.

"Joseph, I have met an old friend." The Prince's Royal Highness reversed the stern attitude of the teacher just now, squatted down and said gently to the boy: "Let's call it a day. You can go back. Your father must be waiting impatiently."

"Don't be nervous, my teacher told me: to learn this set of sword skills, you have to learn to be beaten first."

The little boy let out a breath of amnesty, and rolled his eyes while removing the protective gear: "I thought today would be endless."

Thales laughed.

The young prince turned his head and raised his eyebrows at Putilei, whose face was turning black into charcoal ashes: "This is Joseph, the son of the head chef. His dream is to take over his father's position and become the head chef of the Palace of Heroes, in charge of the entire back kitchen. ...His identity allowed him to be an apprentice chef at the age of eight, but you know, the competition for the chefs in the Palace of Heroes is fierce, and what he is least good at is cutting meat, so he needs special training in using knives..."

"Okay, okay..." Puttilai sighed helplessly, and flicked the embers from the pipe: "I'm glad to see that you have become more cheerful in the past six years."

"His Royal Highness Thales."

Instead of the dead child with a serious face in the past.

Thales' expression stopped for a second.

He stood up, restraining his smile.

As the prince's expression changed, the atmosphere of the guards and entourage also cooled down.

"No," he said flatly, "it's not six years."

Putilei responded with a puzzled look.

"I remember it very clearly," the prince raised his head and said with a little emotion, "Today is June 14, 679."

Thales looked at the sun in the sky, and sighed with complicated eyes:

"Six years and one hundred and sixty-seven days."

"I'm almost fourteen years old."