Kingdom’s Bloodline

The sun was setting.

Thales rode on a horse with brand-new saddle and shiny fur, and walked slowly, all the way east.

He looked over the sentry cavalry's shoulders, staring at the wild grass and cooking smoke in the distance, silently lost in thought.

The land here is different, different from the Northland and the desert, it is wetter, more fertile, and flatter—the power of never getting lost, let him know such information in the dark.

"Your riding skills are very good, Your Highness, not inferior to skilled cavalry."

The prince immersed in "Never Get Lost" was awakened by the sudden sound and turned his head quickly.

"Count Cromer."

While the horseshoes were rolling, I saw the Earl of Wing Fort, Dele Cromar holding the reins, speeding past several guards, and came to the side of the prince's mount. The guards dispersed wisely, leaving the earl and the prince alone Space.

And the freaks who were supposed to guard him were separated from the personal guards of the "crows". The snake hand seemed a little annoyed, but he didn't dare to offend the count, he could only lower his head and complain in the end.

"In this era, at your age, even if many nobles with prominent families can ride properly, it is difficult for them to last so long on horseback."

Earl Dele said calmly and bluntly.

It has been more than ten hours since their team left the camp in a mighty manner. Except for a lunch break on the way, the well-trained crow whistle light cavalry all picked up their horse speed and walked forward at a fast pace.

Thales squeezed his leg, turned his eyes to glance at Dele's calf on the stirrup, and felt that the other's riding posture hadn't changed much.

"Persisted so long" on horseback?

The prince raised his eyebrows secretly: You are praising yourself.

The long journey has already made Thales's thighs and waist sore, and now this kind of horseshoe step that allows him to watch the scenery safely is already a kind of rest.

The Earl of Wingburg continued to sigh with emotion:

"The military training of the northerners is really extraordinary."

Thales nodded politely, and laughed dryly:

"Thanks."

As for the training of the northerners...

You should ask the Meteorite and the Deathcrow.

The former used years of equestrian lessons to teach him how happy it is to be able to ride on a "normal" horse.

The latter taught him how happy it is to be able to ride on horseback "normally" through years of running away.

Reminiscing bitterness and sweetness, Thales sighed slightly.

Sure enough, people are forced out.

But having said that, from Nikolai, Monty to Tuleha who was in the Black Sand Territory before...

Thales felt helpless when he thought that during his trip to the Northland, three of the famous Exeter's five generals could not get along with him. He was probably the worst in the world—ahem—the second unlucky man.

By the way, how did Yodel keep up?

Wouldn't it be behind some horse's ass?

"Finally see the land beyond the yellow sand, right?"

Earl Dele seems to be planning to take advantage of this time to talk to Thales for a while.

"When I served on the frontier, I stayed in the desert for a few weeks before coming out," Dele looked at the wild grass and the smoke from the village in the distance,

smile slightly:

"Seeing even a little bit of green gets me excited."

Thales took up the conversation half wittily and half sincerely:

"Isn't it?"

"It feels really good."

After getting used to wandering in a foreign land for six years, he saw different landforms and people again. This was the first time Thales realized that he was neither in the dry and cold north nor in the desert full of yellow sand.

He is in Star Kingdom.

A strange yet familiar feeling hit my heart.

Noticing where Thales was looking, Dele pointed to the huts at the end of his sight:

"These small villages belong to Enshi Town. It is our supply place today, not far ahead. It is the farthest westward from the Western Wilderness and the closest town to the Saber Camp. It has provided supplies for the Western Front for many years. backup and security."

Enci Town.

Dele's explanation aroused Thales's long-lost interest-the unimaginable leisure and fun in the moments when there is danger in the front and chasing soldiers in the back.

"And we will turn to the Boulevard of Gifts there - the road to Chidao will be much easier." Dele obviously understood the prince's emotions empathetically, and continued his explanation.

"Gift Avenue?"

"When I was in the Northland, I read about it in a book," Thales tried his best to look forward, trying to see the road in the distance:

"But it's the first time to go."

Earl Dele smiled:

"Then I believe that experiencing it personally is more interesting than reading about it in books."

However, in the next second, when Thales' eyes touched the distant horizon, a strange feeling came.

After a burst of undetectable tinnitus, a broad, flat, and solid plane appeared in front of him, appearing in his consciousness.

Thales closed his eyes instinctively, only feeling that the plane extended eastward until it touched a cold, damp, chaotic, huge, seemingly endless wall of liquid.

Bounty Avenue.

"But maybe not the first time."

Dele's words interrupted the prince's travel in the world of consciousness, and he drew a horizontal line in the air:

"The Boulevard of Grace takes Eternal Star City as the center and extends from east to west. To the west it connects to the ruins, Wing Fort and even Enci Town, and to the east it goes directly to the Seven Harbors of the East Sea headed by Huigang City."

Dele smiled slightly and joked:

"So, if you have ever set foot in Eternal Star City, then you have walked through the Avenue of Gifts."

Thales also laughed:

"Thank you, and your comfort."

Dele nodded:

"In addition, the King's Avenue also passes through Eternal Star City and runs through the north and south. These two avenues complement each other, connecting countless towns and castles along the way, and dredging the geographical blood of the kingdom. It is what the merchants call the 'Star Cross'."

King's Row.

star cross.

Thales raised his eyebrows:

"The King's Road, I have really been there. Six years ago, when I went north to Exeter--I also know that it passes through a large birch forest to the Broken Dragon Fortress."

The memories of the past struck, Thales couldn't help being lost in thought.

"This is due to your ancestor, Tormund III the Thornbreaker, at the beginning of the second century. It was his policy of encouraging pioneering that allowed him and the generations of kings after him to rebuild the old roads of the empire."

Dele reached out and gestured around:

"In order to express their gratitude and to gain support, the earliest nobles here named this border town, which was threatened by the desert, 'His Majesty's Gift'."

Tormund's gift.

"Very smart," Thales looked at the looming villages in the distance with interest:

"When facing foreign enemies, 'a piece of land has fallen' and 'Your Majesty's gift has fallen', or the latter is more shocking to the Fuxing Palace, right?"

Dele nodded, he turned his head and scanned the way he came:

"exactly."

"At that time, Western Wilderness was not a good place. Not to mention that the Saber Camp was still an unknown lair of sand robbers in the desert, even the ruins that had been built for a hundred years were nothing more than a place outside the kingdom in people's eyes—from its appearance It’s evident in the name.”

Thales rolled his eyes.

ruins.

Which lord with a brain would name his city "ruins"?

Looking at the receding village in sight, Dele felt a little more emotional:

"Historically, the ruling family of Enci Town has been easier several times because of extinction and marriage."

"Now, its owner is the Hermann family, they are the vassals of the ruins, and their ancestors are the bloodline branches of the Falkenhauser family, and even have a lot of intersection with Bozdorf and our Chromar family tree. "

Ke Dele's tone darkened slightly:

"But their glory is gone, and the current Viscount of Enci Town even has to borrow money to survive."

Thales frowned and turned around:

"Borrowing? Why?"

The mounts continued to move forward with the team, and from time to time, the sentry horses who reconnaissance opened the way or protected the rear passed by, bringing a powerful and powerful order.

Dele's eyes drifted into the distance, feeling a little dazed.

"Because of the war."

Taylor's eyes moved:

"The Year of Blood?"

Dele stared at Thales closely, lifted the rein of the horse, and walked side by side with him.

"yes."

"But more than that."

He fixedly looked at Thales:

"Eleven years ago, in order to seek justice in the Year of Blood, the Kingdom decided to go on an expedition to the desert."

Expedition to the desert.

Thales thought for a moment:

"You mean the desert war, and the subsequent campaign of purge?"

Dele raised his eyebrows, as if he remembered something, and he apologized slightly:

"Oh, I almost forgot, of course you know. You were raised by Viscount Mann, who died in that war."

Thales' face froze.

No, I do not know.

I heard it from some unscrupulous tavern owner.

The setting sun was shining ahead, and the team was still advancing, but Dele looked into the distance, seemingly in a daze:

"Before the war, His Majesty and the State Council passed the mobilization resolution's appendix: During the emergency period, the baron of Saber Dune on the front line can exercise the wartime control over Enci Town in the name of the king, including but not limited to security and martial law , Calling up troops, requisitioning supplies, even bureaucratic appointments, siphoning off taxes, and judicial enforcement.”

wartime control.

Thales suddenly said:

"I see."

But he immediately felt something was wrong:

"Emergency period?"

Dele nodded, his expression darkened:

"And since then, from the protracted purge campaign to the recent orc attack..."

Dele's gaze became extremely sharp:

"The so-called 'emergency period' of the Saber Camp has lasted for eleven years."

He turned his head and looked straight at Thales, the meaning in his eyes was incomprehensible:

"Never lifted."

Thales was stunned.

Eleven years of martial law and...martial law?

"And Enci Town is just one of those attachments."

Dele's voice was low, just like his emotions:

"Now do you know what the turmoil in the Saber camp means?"

Thales frowned.

This time, the Earl of Wing Fort threw him a big proposition.

It was too big for him to imagine.

But Dele didn't want him to answer, His Excellency the Earl just said to himself:

"War sucks, right?"

The young earl rode on the road, and the setting sun dyed his armor golden.

But there was indescribable sadness in his eyes:

"It destroys more than just life."

Thales pursed his lips, not knowing how to answer.

"During the war, in the face of the army led by the king and the enthusiasm of the people, the old Viscount Herman had no choice but to bow his head and follow the trend, obey the orders, work conscientiously, and be diligent and loyal."

Dele's voice fluctuated slightly:

"Facing Williams after the war, the sixty-year-old Viscount Herman held the genealogy and the yellowed gift town canonization writ in one hand, and held the sword against his neck in the other hand. He complained tearfully. The whole Western Wilderness is watching, and all we cowardly so-called great lords, the so-called guardian dukes and imperial earls can do is persuade him to go back with good intentions—by delay and lies."

Dele frowned and looked ahead:

"So, when the old Viscount died in depression, and his son sneaked up to the Wing Castle, humbly asking for a loan to make ends meet, I didn't hesitate or be stingy."

The Earl of Wingburg had a calm voice, but there was a depressive force in his words:

"We owe him that."

Thales' eyes were a little heavy.

The silence lasted for a while, except for the sound of horseshoes.

"How many."

After a while, Thales spoke out from the unspeakable silence:

"How many cases like this are there in Xihuang?"

Dele bowed his head and paused, as if thinking.

But he finally spoke.

"I have no idea."

"But I know that about five years ago, my subordinate, the Baron of Emory Town, which has been passed down for hundreds of years, fell ill and died unfortunately, and he died of an heir—at least that's what he said to the outside world."

This time, the earl's voice was particularly low.

Thales frowned:

"foreign?"

Dele raised his head and sneered out of his nose:

"Obviously he has been protesting against the implementation of the "Border County Exploitation Tax Exemption Order"-according to him, the countless nouveau riche nobles spawned by that order are nibbling away his interests every day, taking away his subjects, cutting off his livelihood."

"Whether his excuses are exaggerated or not, but in the end it is the worst. I don't know if it is because he is too stupid to do anything, or because he has nowhere to appeal and is too stubborn, or because he has drunk too much and his mind is not clear... he did not listen. Our dissuasion, following our instincts, chose the radical style of the ancestors of the Ludo Empire."

Thales shuddered.

I saw Dele clenched the rein, with a chill in his eyes:

"He recruited soldiers, mobilized the army, and planned to cross the Western Wilderness, and make a 'big news' that can be seen by the whole Xingchen."

Mobilize the army.

big news.

Thales' mood became more and more tense.

"And then, how did my father react?"

But unexpectedly, Dele just shook his head and closed his eyes.

"Nothing," the Earl of Wingburg said lightly:

"The Fuxing Palace never knew about this—at least, before they knew, Duke Falkenhauser and Count Bozdorf made a decision together with me."

Thales was puzzled for a moment:

"Don't know? Make a decision? What's that..."

Dele replied to him in one sentence:

"We dealt with him."

The sentences are short, the grammar is simple, and the semantics are concise.

deal with?

At that moment, Thales felt a sincere chill.

"you know."

Dele opened his eyes lightly, his words were indifferent:

"The Anniversary of the Bloody Year is not far away, the lesson of the Blade Leader is still there, and Xihuang..."

"We can't let that happen."

At that second, the Earl's eyes became extremely gloomy, and his voice seemed so tight that even the air could not flow:

"we can not."

so……

Lord Emory...

The whole family is sick.

Unfortunately, he died.

That's it... extinct.

Thales only felt a slight numbness in his back.

He couldn't help but think of what the Duke of Xihuang once said to him about nobility and kingship.

Amidst the sound of horseshoes, Earl Wingburg's words came leisurely:

"cannot……"

Thales took a light breath.

The prince's team is still advancing, and the golden-striped single-winged crow is shining golden in the setting sun.

But during those few seconds, Thales had an illusion: the air between him and Dele, their two horses, was so cold that the Northlanders could freeze to death.

After a while, Thales spoke with difficulty:

"You don't like it, do you?"

"What my father has done all these years."

Hearing this, Dele took a deep breath.

Fortunately, it seemed that the rays of the setting sun instantly drove away the coldness on the earl's body, and restored some warmth to his expression.

"I can't say whether I like it or not."

Dele's meticulous riding posture loosened a bit, and he only heard him say quietly:

"It's just that I live here, feel here, and connect here."

"My subjects, my vassals, my family, everything I cherish is in Xihuang."

"I have a duty to them, to this land."

Dele's expression was slightly dazed:

"When they are alive, I want them to live at ease. When they breathe, I want them to breathe well. When they die, I want them to die well."

The earl's eyes slowly focused:

"And if they are destined to disappear..."

"I want them to go peacefully, relieved, without regrets."

The Earl of Wingburg let out a breath slowly:

"Instead of being smashed to pieces in the unknowable rolling waves."

There was another awkward silence.

At this time, countless thoughts flashed through the prince's mind, but none of them could make him happy.

Thales could only sigh deeply.

Seemingly noticing the prince's emotions, Dele smiled happily and took a relaxed tone.

"But about Enci Town, do you know what is the most ironic?"

Thales returned a questioning look.

"Before the lords assembled their troops to welcome Your Highness back to the country, Earl Bozdov of Heroic Soul Fort asked His Majesty for orders to obtain an order to lift the emergency period for Enci Town."

"but……"

Dele's smile gradually disappeared, and he sighed softly.

"It's been eleven years. If you count the war and decline around the Scarlet Year, the Herman family has been away from the operation center of Enci Town for more than 20 years, and has become a wealthy gentry."

Taylor's heart tightened.

"So, Little Herman, who carried his father's last wish, discovered from the first day, from the execution of official duties, the maintenance of public security, to the management of the system, to the reserve of talents and the coordination of relationships..."

"Poor them, they have already lost the ability to rule the current Enci Town."

Dele's voice was inexplicably weird:

"If a fine horse does not leave the stable for twenty years, and a crow does not fly out of the crow's house for twenty years..."

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

"After spending the first week of panic and desperation, the people in the territory are protesting endlessly, and everyone is dissatisfied."

Dele stared closely at the rein in his hand:

"In order to avoid chaos, Enci Town had to retain or even recall some of the officials appointed by the royal family."

"And after the incident at the Saber Camp, the Herman family even had to compromise and ask for help from the royal standing army that was planning to withdraw—in order to guard against sporadic threats that might infiltrate the line of defense. After all, even the army of the lords in the Saber Camp It's all over the place, isn't it?"

Dele's expression darkened:

"And then you saw, Williams came back."

"Everything comes back."

He turned his head and looked at the setting sun that was about to end on the western mountain behind him from afar, with a hint of desolation in his tone:

"Everything, I can't come back."

At that second, Thales unconsciously took a deep breath.

He recalled the words of Cyril Falkenhauser not so long ago:

The speed of the team slowed down, and the speed of the sentry cavalry galloping forward and backward became more and more frequent, and a large part of the cavalry had accelerated first and disappeared at the corner of the hill ahead.

"So, sometimes I wonder, what if there was no Desert War?"

Dele seems to have forgotten the existence of the prince, and at this moment he is more like talking to himself:

"Even further away, if there is no bloody year?"

What if, there is no Year of Blood?

So many people...

Thinking of this, Thales' eyes were also in a daze for a moment.

A few seconds later, Dele exhaled heavily, as if he wanted to expel all the resentment from his chest for many days, and his tone became normal:

"Sorry, Your Highness, I lost my composure."

But Thales just bent the corner of his mouth:

"No, thank you for your candor."

The team turned around a hillside, and in front of them, a small town with a different style from Exeter and Saber Camp appeared in front of them.

The prince looked at the crowds getting closer and closer, with a forced smile.

"You are right, Lord Earl," Thales said with complicated emotions:

"Sometimes, what you experience is more interesting than what you read about in a book."

Also heavier.

He said silently in his heart.

"I understand what you mean, and I will keep it in my heart."

Thales said solemnly.

But his words were a little more sincere than the polite chat before.

This time, Dele stared at him for a long time.

"thank you."

The earl responded softly, but he was extremely serious:

"His Royal Highness Thales."

After speaking, Dele turned his horse's head following the slowed down mount, and stretched out his arms towards the town that appeared in front of him unknowingly:

"Then, welcome to Enci Town."

Thales took a deep breath and turned his head.

He looked at the small town in front of him with well-arranged houses and wide stone-brick roads—nearly hundreds of residents were waiting nervously behind the sentry line formed by crow whistle and light cavalry, and cast their curious eyes on the center of their team .

Thales lightly clenched his fist.

"Don't forget the source of its name."

I only heard Dele say with deep meaning:

"This is a gift from His Majesty."

But in the next second, before Thales could reply, there was commotion in the "welcoming crowd" in front of him.

Thales and Dele's attention was raised at the same time.

Under the vigilant eyes of the crow guards, a group of dozens of black-armored soldiers roughly pushed aside the crowd and came with heavy steps, menacing and majestic.

"Give Way!"

Many civilians complained again and again, but no one dared to object. Everyone left the road willingly or unwillingly to make way for these soldiers.

Thales frowned.

Many Crow Whistle Qingqi subconsciously touched their weapons, but did not make any bigger moves.

Because a flag rose high as it broke through the crowd like breaking waves.

Looking at the flag, Thales froze for a moment.

I saw that the background color of the flag was pure yellow, and on it was a lion outlined with a black line.

Black lion on yellow background.

"That's..." Thales was a little puzzled.

Count Deleux sighed, turned sideways to Thales, and said in a low voice:

"The black lions of Heroesof Castle, the Bozdorf family, they came earlier than I expected."

Fort of Heroes...

black lion...

Bozdorf?

Before Thales, who remembered something, could react, Dele jumped over the saddle and pressed Thales' arm:

"That is Earl Lewis. Although he is also one of your imperial vassals, I sincerely advise you, Your Highness, no matter what he said..."

Dele's tone was extremely cautious, and the corners of his mouth were slightly curved:

"Just smile."

Thales was at a loss again.

A high-pitched but rough voice, with a little enthusiasm, a little cunning, and maybe a little cold and gloomy, rang out among the soldiers in black armor:

"Dele, Dele, my dear little Dele!"

"You came so fast, didn't you!"

A middle-aged nobleman with a medium build and slightly fat body, but covered in black armor and with a sword hanging from his waist, rode on a horse, surrounded by soldiers on both sides, and came to the front of the "Crow".

Dele's personal guards obviously knew him, and no one stopped him, and no one spoke.

The guards of the middle-aged nobles also tacitly stopped in front of the formation, allowing their masters to take the reins and move forward.

Thales keenly noticed that Dele took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.

The middle-aged aristocrat, with a warm and false smile, stopped in front of Dele's horse and stretched out his arms to him:

"Sure enough, in the entire Western Wilderness, whether it's horses or ravens, you produce more!"

The middle-aged noble looked at Dele's mount, admiring the horse, but the tone of his words gradually changed:

"It is obedient, easy to use, fast and convenient."

Dele frowned.

The middle-aged nobleman glanced sideways at the Earl of Wingburg, showing an intriguing expression:

"From the common people to the king, everyone likes it very much."

Thales pursed his lips: the deep meaning in the other party's words was vague.

Seeing Earl Dele as if he didn't hear anything, he nodded respectfully and responded with a smile:

"Count Lewis Bozdorf."

Dele took off his iron gloves politely, and stretched out his right hand:

"It's an honor to meet you."

The middle-aged nobleman smiled, took off his gloves, and took Dele's hand.

He didn't answer, but his eyes were like knives, and he shot straight at Thales beside Dele.

Thales, who was staring at him with a smile on his face, tightened his heart.

"So, where?"

The next moment, the man known as Earl Lewis stared at the prince clearly, but narrowed his eyes, his face was haughty, and his tone was gloomy:

"Where is our heroic prince who is said to have defended world peace, conquered the kingdom of dragons, and saved the entire land of stars...?"