Kingdom’s Bloodline

Bright moon, rock, campfire, field, man.

When Thales woke up, the feedback from hell's senses was such a scene.

Good thing he wasn't tied up.

Thales gently opened his eyes, and under the pain in the back of his head and bursts of dizziness, he quietly groped his waist.

"Looking for this?"

A gong-like voice sounded.

Thales sighed, gave up groping, sat up with difficulty, and patted the dust on his clothes: "That's mine."

By the bonfire at night, Monty sat leaning against a tree with a leisurely expression, looking at him with a smile on his face.

The jc dagger twirled back and forth lightly in the man's hand, playing many tricks.

"I have to say, it's pretty sharp."

The Death Crow turned the dagger into a backhand, slashed quickly in the air, and retracted his arm with a slight sound of breaking through the air.

"I also know a lot about weapons, but I can't tell that its raw material is probably some kind of rare metal. Tsk tsk, the royal family is indeed the royal family." Monty flicked the jc's edge and clicked his tongue with great interest. road.

Thales twisted his neck helplessly, and looked around while soothing the painful back of his head.

They were no longer in the original woods, but in a wilderness with complex terrain and jagged rocks. The man also lit a fire under a huge rock slanting to shelter from the wind.

There are two horses tied to the tree behind Monty. The saddle is excellent. One of them is equipped with a quiver, and the other even has a long sword and shield. It looks like a war horse.

In the senses of hell, Monty's outline is no different from that of a normal person, showing a transparent human form, but Thales can see that, just like people like Fortress Flower, Kingdom Wrath, and Meteor, there is something hidden in the body of this extreme master. Strange power, lurking in the muscles and blood vessels, is accidentally swept away.

The horse is on the opposite side, and there are no weapons. This is a wilderness that I am not familiar with, and the enemy is still very strong.

Thales shook his head secretly: The chance of escaping is very small.

Just as he was observing carefully, Monty had already put down his dagger, and threw a piece of dried meat and a water bag from a distance.

Thales caught it in a hurry, and then frowned slightly.

"that's it?"

The prince patted the dust on the jerky, and said with disgust, "Since you lit a fire, can't you go hunting and roast some meat?"

Monty shook his head indifferently.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty."

"In the wild, the smell of meat will cause unnecessary trouble and it's too much to start a fire." The Death Crow casually grabbed another piece of jerky, stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it with relish, "Of course, you can choose not to eat it .”

Thales sighed sadly again, took a bite of the jerky, and looked at Monty dissatisfied with a look that was difficult to eat.

The man on the opposite side seemed to be very interested in seeing the prince's inability to eat, and let out a low laugh.

"What is this place?" The prince seemed to give up protesting, staring at Monty dejectedly, and swept the jc dagger in his hand:

"Where are we?"

Monty tore another mouthful of jerky, deliberately chuckled and said:

"on the way."

on the way.

Thales frowned slightly: "Wow, that's really accurate."

"I'm sorry I didn't bring you the map," Monty said sarcastically, "Your Highness."

"People from the Secret Department, those who should have been waiting in the jungle to pick me up..." Thales said indifferently, "What did you do to them?"

Monty laughed.

He laughed heartily, shaking his shoulders, as if he was very happy just thinking about it.

This made Thales feel heavy.

"Didn't I say that?" Monty blinked his eyes, his face brightened: "They're 'very busy'."

Thales, with a downcast expression, didn't respond, but opened the water bag silently.

He put the spout on his mouth, silently activated the hell senses, and carefully observed the surroundings again, including the position of the moon.

It's late at night, at least several hours have passed since he knocked me out.

only……

strangeness.

"Only you?" The prince took a sip of water,

asked lightly.

Monty frowned.

"how?"

The Death Crow narrowed his eyes slightly, and a hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes:

"Do you think that if I'm the only one, you might have a chance?"

Thales glanced at the bag containing the crossbow beside him, then looked at the jc dagger lying quietly on the ground, and sighed slightly.

"never mind."

"I never imagined that I could single out Exeter's most famous outpost scout."

Monty chuckled.

A cold light flashed in the eyes of the Death Crow, which made Thales feel restless again: "Then don't look at me like that, you have no chance."

Thales put down the water bag and wiped the corners of his mouth.

"But you're really alone."

Monty's eyebrows gathered together, and his words became cold: "Do you like nonsense?"

Thales shook his head.

But he still smiled slightly: "How can this explain other issues? Are you afraid of being discovered? You found out that you kidnapped Prince Xingchen privately?"

"Such as being discovered by Dragon Clouds City and your good buddy Nicolai?"

Monty raised his head, seeing his eyes getting colder and colder.

"Ha." He twitched the corner of his mouth with a half-smile.

Thales raised his eyebrows, put down the water bag, and bit the jerky again.

"That's right, it's not me you're carrying, but two thousand cavalry." He said vaguely.

Monty's eyes moved slightly.

"Remember, the two thousand cavalry of Star Kingdom are still staying on the border of the desert, waiting to interfere in the war of the Freedom Alliance."

The prince tore hard at the hard jerky, and took a sip of water from time to time: "It is related to the interests of the two major territories of Qiyuan City and Dragon Clouds City."

"Take me, you've got a lot on your shoulders, Lord Monty."

Thales said softly: "Are you ready?"

Monty didn't speak, but his expression became completely serious.

"You talk too much."

But Thales shook his head indifferently: "But you are very confident, aren't you?"

"Because you are the best scout in Exeter, the army of Qiyuan City has also added a lot of color to it."

The Death Crow snorted coldly, looking at him with increasingly unfriendly eyes:

"Boying up won't help you, Your Highness."

He said coldly and unhappy: "So, why don't you finish eating the food in your hands, and then shut up obediently?"

However, at this moment, Thales suddenly laughed.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Monty was slightly surprised at first, then looked at him suspiciously.

"I understand." Thales swallowed the last mouthful of jerky with water, patted his half-filled stomach, and the smile on his face became more and more happy.

"You, Death Raven..."

Monty's complexion became more and more ugly, and his attitude became more and more unhappy.

"Damn it."

"Understand what?"

Thales reluctantly put away his smile, stared back at the other party, and shook his head vigorously: "It's nothing."

But he chuckled again, as if he couldn't help it: "It's just that haha ​​suddenly realized that I'm really too slow."

Monty's eyes hardened.

The Death Crow said coldly: "You have said so much, I have a bad feeling: you are planning something, or know something."

Thales seemed to concentrate on eating his jerky, but his eyes never left Monty.

Monty was very uncomfortable being stared at by him, and said coldly:

"They say you are good at persuading and swaying people."

"So maybe the next moment, you will say something that makes me hesitate?"

Only then did Thales restrain his smile, but he shrugged without showing any signs of fear:

"You will hesitate...Maybe, because you are very guilty?"

The voice fell, and the air fell into silence.

All that remained was the crackling of the bonfire.

The warmth on the Crow's face completely disappeared. This time, he silently looked at the prince for a long time.

Looking at Thales felt uneasy.

A few seconds later, Monty sneered and stood up: "You know, there is a good way to overcome hesitation."

Thales was taken aback for a moment, looked at the Death Crow walking towards him, and shrank back unconsciously.

"What?"

But Monty has come to himself.

He reappeared that hunting grin, and clenched his fists: "That's why don't give yourself a chance to hesitate."

"Have you finished eating?"

Thales felt a palpitation, he got up subconsciously, and hid back: "Wait, you..."

But Thales hadn't finished speaking, and Monty's expression changed, as if he didn't need to store his energy at all, he rushed forward like lightning!

"boom!"

With a muffled sound, Thales couldn't even see the opponent's movements clearly, and passed out again.

"Woke up again?"

This was the first sentence Thales heard in a daze after waking up hungry and jolted.

It still belongs to that man.

The first thing that comes into view is the ground.

Grass, stones, soil on the ground...

etc.

They're all moving backwards anyway...

The moving ground?

Thales was taken aback!

He shook his head vigorously, only to be surprised to find that he was lying on the saddle in an ugly posture, slowly advancing with the horse's hooves, head and hands on one side, legs and feet on the other.

The prince was about to struggle to get up subconsciously, but found that he was tightly bound to the saddle, and he couldn't even straighten his body!

"hateful……"

Thales felt the pain all over his body, and looked around in pain: the weather was clear and sunny, but they were walking on a trail full of weeds, with fir trees on both sides, which was obviously not the same as yesterday's campsite. out of place.

hell.

What kind of operation is this?

Thales looked at the horse's hooves on the ground solemnly, and his heart sank.

He desperately looked up at the other horse, Monty, who was whistling leisurely.

"Damn, is this the treatment you should give to His Royal Highness?"

Thales let out a breath, feeling that the pain in his waist and abdomen was becoming more and more unbearable, he couldn't help gritting his teeth and cursing: "Are you sure, your superiors won't settle accounts with you?"

"What if I die on the way?"

The Death Crow turned his head from his horse, and smiled: "But aren't you still dead?"

"And I'm sure not!"

"Hahahahaha"

Thales sighed heavily, looking at his bound body, he couldn't help but lower his head, feeling terribly unlucky:

"You old drama, you are using too much force."

The Death Crow didn't seem to understand what Thales said. He slowed down his horse and walked side by side with Thales.

"Listen, talkative boy," Monty said with a creepy smile, "for the cleanliness and smoothness of our road..."

"You now have two choices."

I saw Monty easily raised two fingers, and a sense of joy of getting the prey rose on his face:

"Choose one, you can continue talking nonsense..."

but he hasn't finished talking yet

"I choose two."

Thales said coldly, not even looking at his expressions and emotions.

This made Monty's face stiff for a moment.

He turned his head, looked at his raised fingers, and scratched his chin in displeasure.

"Damn it," the Deathcrow said displeasedly, "I haven't even started talking yet."

"snort."

Thales replied to him without pretense, and pushed back bluntly: "Anyway, the result of choosing one is always the worst, isn't it?"

Monty snorted dissatisfiedly, and turned his head away to make fun of himself.

They walked on the road for about an hour, so long that Thales only had the strength to breathe.

The feeling of being hung on the back of a horse is really... oh my god...

"Hey...the one with the big mouth..."

"The Meteorite told me that he could break your neck in five seconds," Thales felt confused at this moment, his waist was sore and his back was hurting, and his abdomen that was on the saddle was almost worn out, which made him I hate the person in front of me so much:

"To be honest, I'm really looking forward to that scene now."

Monty, who was sitting on the horse, froze slightly.

"Five seconds? Is that what he said?"

His face became ugly.

But in an instant, Monty withdrew his emotions.

He smiled contemptuously, and turned to Thales who was gnashing his teeth on horseback: "Now I believe that you are indeed a trouble, at least in terms of being annoying."

"After all this, can't you keep your mouth shut?"

Thales took a painful breath and tried his best to show a pale smile:

"Look, that's the problem."

"When I was still in the hands of Dragon Clouds City, they thought I was a trouble," the prince said as his sweat dripped down the ground, his voice was a bit difficult, and his voice was hoarse: "But they won't remember until they lost me. chips."

"And now, I'm in your hands."

The young man tried his best to raise his head, dripping with cold sweat, but still tried his best to pull out an ugly smile: "Guess who is the most troublesome?"

Monty snorted coldly, and approached the horse.

He slowly raised the knife in his hand and pointed it at Thales' neck.

Thales felt a chill suddenly, and the feeling of being frightened came back to his mind.

"Okay, okay, don't do anything," the prince lowered his head remorsefully, and shouted, "I will cooperate!"

Monty then showed a satisfied smile.

But Thales grinned and twisted, and spoke again: "I only ask one last question..."

"Are you sure we're on the right track?"

The Deathcrow frowned fiercely.

Monty sighed for a long time: "Didn't you choose the second?"

Before Thales could react, the next moment, the knife in his hand fell heavily!

"boom!"

Chop Thales' neck.

Seeing the (again) fainted prince, Deathcrow nodded in satisfaction.

He changed into a comfortable sitting position, and murmured amidst the swaying of the horse:

"It's much quieter now."

Thales swears that this is the hardest road he has traveled in his short life so far, the scariest sleep he has ever had, and the most boring person he has ever met.

His daily itinerary is to eat and faint, wake up, wake up to eat, eat and then faint again.

It seems that Monty also never tires of it. Once Thales talks a little too much or offends him, he basically just waits on him with a knife in his hand, saying "rule number one" from time to time.

So Thales sometimes wakes up on horseback, and sometimes opens his eyes in the wilderness. Every time he wakes up, he can only see the scenery changing, the sun and the moon changing, and he doesn't even know how much time has passed.

Back pain, leg cramps, dizziness, vertigo and tinnitus are commonplace.

Oh My God.

Thales, who was about to go crazy, wailed in pain in his heart:

Raising pigs is not so cruel!

It feels like being back in an abandoned house no, it's worse than that.

He secretly said: he remembered this man, Ned Monty.

Damn bastard.

I want him to look good when I go back!

Thales gritted his teeth and thought.

However, just when Thales thought that this kind of life would continue until they reached their destination, finally one day, he woke up on horseback and found something different.

This time, he was forcibly shaken awake.

"Hey, wake up!"

When Thales opened his eyes from his bewilderment, the voice of the Death Crow was a little anxious and dignified.

It's another day.

well.

The prince who adjusted to the light was at a loss: "What?"

"Are you lost?"

Only then did he realize that the surrounding scenery was different again: from hills full of fir bushes and jagged rocks, it became a slightly undulating gentle slope, with fewer trees and more weeds.

here it is……

Thales stretched out his head and hands in pain, relieving the pain caused by lying on the horse for a long time. He was almost used to it, and even derived a method of using the crime of prison river to relieve the pain.

"You don't want to be captured by Dragon Clouds City, do you, Your Highness?"

Monty said coldly.

Thales woke up a little bit, and then he suddenly realized that Monty's words were wrong.

The prince's face was serious: "What's wrong?"

Monty held his own rein with one hand and Thales's with the other, and his horse speed was much faster than usual.

"We just passed the Muxue River Ferry," Monty glanced back, with a serious expression and terrifying eyes:

"Someone is following us."

Feeling the heaviness in his words, Thales shuddered, recalling his current situation.

Just past the Muxue River...

keep an eye on us...

"Who?" he asked warily.

Monty shook his head, his expression tense: "I don't know, but I guess it should be Dragon Cloud City, or Luba's pursuers."

Thales moved slightly: "How do you know?"

The Deathcrow snorted lightly.

"I just know it."

With an unquestionable look, he looked around seriously: "This is the scout's intuition that the smell in the air is very familiar."

Thales was stunned.

Chasing soldiers?

how come……

"If you don't want to be taken back," Monty said coldly, with a hint of warning in his words:

"Then cooperate well."

Thales stared at him blankly.

"How to cooperate?"

Monty lowered his eyes and gestured to his hands and feet: "We can no longer take a leisurely picnic, we must let go of the rein and gallop forward."

"You're tired of sleeping on horseback too. Make me feel like a human trafficker."

The Dead Crow said with disgust on his face, "How?"

Thales looked at him fixedly.

After several minutes, the prince finally smiled.

"certainly."

He sure does.

"There is still a long distance from here to the destination," Thales nodded, narrowing his eyes: "Facing the pursuit of the entire Dragon Clouds City, all we need are collaborators."

"Not a troublemaker."

"We are not enemies, Lord Monty."

Thales put away his smile and said solemnly: "Especially when facing Dragon Clouds City."

Monty let out a breath, and gradually smiled, the ominous feeling of staring at the prey returned to him.

Under the sun, Deathcrow raised his eyebrows: "Very good."

He smiled, took out the jc dagger with sheath from his arms, and cut open the rope binding Thales neatly.

Thales let out a sigh of relief: Finally.

He straightened up with numb hands and feet, and sat upright on the horse.

It felt like I hadn't ridden a horse properly in a lifetime.

Thales exclaimed with satisfaction: stepping on the stirrups gave him a solid sense of security.

"How, can it work?" Monty glanced at him with subtle eyes.

Thales moved his wrist, rubbed his numb waist, took a deep breath, and felt that the vitality returned to his body.

"Back to life." He said lightly.

"Very good." Monty smiled sullenly, and threw the jc dagger back to Thales.

Thales took over the dagger he was familiar with, feeling more and more at ease.

really……

"Now, sit on your horse, pull the rein, control the direction, follow me, and run as hard as you can," Monty patted his bag containing the bow and crossbow, and lifted the quiver from the saddle with a stern expression: "Of course, don't Want to run away, I don't want to shoot you down with an arrow like through your balls."

"Trust me, I can do it."

Thales felt a chill in his heart, he raised his eyebrows, held the rein, and nodded kindly.

Monty licked the corner of his mouth: "Get ready."

"Remember, it's running with your life!"

In the next second, the rope in Monty's hand was pulled out, and Thales and his own horse were pulled hard!

In the long-lost pleasure, with the sound of horseshoes, the horse speeded up, and the air scraped Thales' arm.

He put a little pressure on the stirrups and leaned forward so the horse could pick up speed and catch up with Monty's hooves.

"Click, click, click..."

Thales took a breath of air comfortably, squinting his eyes to feel the force of the strong wind.

This can be said to be the happiest day he has had in the past few days!

But after only ten minutes, Thales' heart sank.

"Wait!" He yelled at Monty in front of him:

"Why did we turn?"

"To avoid pursuers?"

The Death Crow turned his head and roared back unquestionably:

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Just follow me!"

"Don't relax, they are hard to deal with!"

With the arrow on the string, Thales could only suppress his doubts and follow this unreliable guide all the way forward.

In a tense gallop, they ran all day and night.

There was almost no pause on the way, and even eating was resolved immediately.

And the scenery in front of them also slowly changed: the gentle slope turned into an open wilderness, the trees almost disappeared, and even the weeds were rarely seen.

Above the wilderness, what you can see is mostly bare large limestone.

So, when the morning came again, they finally found a stream that was so shallow that they could hardly even hold the water bags, and when they camped and rested, even the horses were so tired that they whined again and again.

"Where are we?"

Thales almost collapsed on the ground, panting against a rock, and asked while pouring water into his mouth.

"Bare rocks," this time, Monty replied simply, and he also took a sip of water, but his face was not relaxed or tired, and his eyes were still alert:

"It is already under the rule of Qiyuan City."

"In the next step, we don't have to avoid crowds anymore, and we can even go directly to the village to resupply."

Thales' expression froze.

Wasteland.

"So, are we really going to Qiyuan City?" He asked nonchalantly.

Therefore, the Great Desert is in the south.

Monty shrugged and didn't answer, just tore off a piece of jerky and put it in his mouth, God knows how he could eat it when he got off the horse, run when he got on the horse, and sleep when he lay down.

For example, Thales felt that he was going to be exhausted, and he didn't even have the energy to eat.

"Did you take a detour?" Thales gasped: "I always feel that you are not walking in a straight line?"

Monty shot him a contemptuous glance.

"Shut up, you have to listen to professionals when you go out."

With a touch of worry, Thales looked back behind him:

"So, we got rid of the pursuers?"

"Of course." Monty seemed in a good mood, his brows relaxed, and he actually answered his question:

"Even with the burden, I'm still Exeter's best scout."

Looking at the smug crow, Thales couldn't help raising his eyebrows, and murmured in his heart, "Troublesome...

"So, who the hell is following us?"

Monty just shook his head: "The last person you want to see."

"Okay, I suggest you shut up now and get some sleep or should I help you fall asleep?"

Thales had no choice but to turn around awkwardly, so as not to be knocked out again.

He picked a relatively flat rock in the sandy and dusty wasteland, and lay down without hesitation, recovering his strength, thinking about the next step.

When he was captured by Monty, Thales thought the situation was bad at first.

Later, after his first conversation with Monty, he was pleasantly surprised that things were going well.

But now, after running around with the Crooked Crow all day and night, Thales frowned again: No, the situation is not as good as I imagined.

Thinking of this, Thales glanced at Monty worriedly.

this person……

It's not as simple as I imagined.

It is much more troublesome and complicated.

It's very close to returning home.

Now, I need a chance.

a chance.

Thinking of this, Thales quietly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

But this time the sleep was much faster than expected!

"Whoosh!"

A sudden sharp sound woke Thales from his dream!

He was gasping for breath, deeply impressed by the strange sound!

This is……

This is?

"alert!"

Monty's exasperated shout came, bringing Thales back to his senses!

At noon, the sun was in the sky, scorching the bare rocks, Thales got up dripping with sweat, only to find that Monty had already had a weapon in his hand, and looked back with a ferocious face.

The tension in the air infected Thales who woke up from his dream. He shook his head violently and stood up.

"What's going on?" Thales touched the dagger in his arms, looked around in astonishment, but saw nothing.

Just as he was about to activate the senses of hell, what responded to him was the cold and angry snort of the Death Crow: "What happened, we screwed up."

Monty seemed to be annoyed, he kept grinding his teeth, and his eyes were scary: "Damn, how is it possible..."

"How did they find out!"

Thales had never seen him like this before, and he seemed to be angry from embarrassment.

But Monty's body tensed more and more, like a frightened beast, staring at the back of a rock.

Thales was stunned.

how……

But he suddenly recalled the most crucial part.

"The sound just now," Thales said in amazement, recalling the impression in his memory desperately: "It's a bit like the sound of the arrows from the Dragon Clouds patrol, but there are some differences. I must have heard it somewhere..."

And at this moment.

A hoarse and deep male voice slowly came from behind the rock:

"Because that's not a patrol's snapping arrow."

At that moment, Thales and Monty suddenly changed color!

this voice...

The sound of unfamiliar horseshoes sounded from behind the rock.

A man with a white cloak and a mask on his back riding a horse stepped out from behind the rock. His eyes were bloodshot, but they were still as sharp as a knife.

Thales froze: the cloak, the mask, he recognized this outfit.

he is……

he is……

The visitor glanced at the two of them coldly, and gently pulled off the scarf, revealing pale and distinct facial contours.

Seeing the person coming, Monty covered his forehead in pain, gritted his teeth and stomped the ground: "Son of a bitch!"

The man said hoarsely: "That is the signal crossbow of the White Blade Guard of Longxiao City, which has been in use for nearly a hundred years."

"Six years ago, it sounded countless times in Dragon Clouds City."

Thales sighed.

In the next second, the boy took out the jerky in his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed hard.

"In the hall, I told you so."

"Thals Canxing."

Under the sun, Dragon Clouds City's former commander of the White Blade Guard was riding on a horse in full armor, carrying his Rising Sun Saber, staring at the gloomy Thales with his terrifying eyes, condescending , said so.

Thales and Monty looked at each other with ugly expressions.

"'Be careful yourself, it's better not to fall into my hands.'"

The voice of the meteorite, Lord Siri Nicolai, sounded in this wilderness, and there was a murderous chill in it:

"Otherwise, you won't even have a chance to regret it."