Kingdom’s Bloodline

Chapter 203 Revenge

Chapter 699 Revenge

Centuries ago, "Southerner" Hyman Brightstar entered the city alone at the most dangerous moment. He fell in love with Miss Regina at first sight during the election, and ultimately saved the kingdom from civil war. The tradition of the election was thus preserved. .

And at this moment five hundred years later - sitting in the stands, looking at the cheering audience in the stands, the heavily guarded guards outside the field, and the contestants gearing up in the field, Thales couldn't help but think - another A shining star prince, surrounded by countless guards and servants, came to another election.

I just don’t know about the election that year. When "Southerner" Heyman changed his name and sneaked into the venue, faced with the powerful soldiers, geared up, and gathered the crowd to elect the generals to fight against the heroes of the South Coast of the Bright Star Royal Family, what was his reaction?

A big event is approaching, and the war is dangerous. Will he be confident and calm, or will he grit his teeth and hold back, talk and laugh as if nothing has happened, or will he face the difficulties with high morale?

Thinking of this, Thales sighed deeply: It's not like him, who is confused and full of melancholy, but he still has to force a smile and pretend to be calm.

And Heyman isn't alone.

Five hundred years ago, Prince Heyman had at least the powerful "Eight Finger" King as his backing, at least the eldest son of the Duke who had a clear distinction between love and hate to speak out, and at least the extremely intelligent Miss Regina to make suggestions. The Duke of Cork is also a steady old minister who upholds integrity - at least in the story.

But what about him, Thales Bright Star, who is now in the Emerald City, the backing he has, the allies he relies on, and the opponents he faces...

"Your security chief has just been killed, Your Highness the Prince," Zhan's voice came from the seat on his right, calm but shrewd, "and you are under suspicion and surrounded by rumors. If I were you, you would keep a low profile, such as Accepting the protection of Captain Seychelles, he was escorted by heavy troops to a separate and isolated stand, and attended the election cautiously..."

"Protection? Escort?" Thales looked at the workers preparing hard in the arena, "You mean, semi-forced kidnapping and house arrest?"

But Zhan ignored him: "...instead of turning around and getting together with my sister, and squeezing into the Duke's Stand in a conspicuous way."

"What? Let's do it together?" Shilai's head popped out from Zhan's right side, staring at his brother angrily.

Zhan turned his head and glared at his sister, with an unprecedented seriousness and solemnity.

"The Seychelles knight longs for status, but he is not the kind of person who will bow to the powerful and let you go at critical moments - especially in front of outsiders, so what weakness do you exploit in him? Power? Wealth? Wife, children and children. ? Or dance for him?"

Thales was about to pick up his teacup when he paused after hearing this.

"Easier," Xi Lai hummed, without any sense of being sarcastic, "Duizi."

Zhan followed Hilley's gaze and turned to the escort team under the stands: the Star Lake Guard and the Emerald Legion were headed by Hugo and Seychelles respectively. They were separated into two rows and were wary of each other. There was only one knight sitting in the middle holding a sword. , looking at the tents prepared for the contestants in the arena with complicated eyes.

"Is that Knight Cassian? I understand. If he takes action, Seychelles is not sure that he can defeat him in front of his subordinates. This is not good for his prestige, so he simply seizes the opportunity and goes downhill... But you How did you convince Cassian to come out? "

Zhan frowned and waved to the audience diagonally opposite, receiving another round of applause:

"Could it be that you also threatened him that if he didn't come out, you would dance in public?"

Thales held up the teacup and sighed.

Why does this guy care so much about this?

"For the sake of the sunset, brother, one word: OK or not?"

Xi Lai raised her eyebrows. She took Zhan's arm and smiled sweetly. Only the words leaked from between her teeth made people frown:

"Don't force me to go out and dance now!"

Zhan's face changed slightly.

"Shameless..." The Duke tried his best to keep his facial expression normal, but just as he was about to retort, he was interrupted by cheers from inside and outside the arena.

The election is about to begin.

Brother and sister Kevin Deere calmed down their expressions, gave each other an unkind look, and sat upright.

Thales breathed a sigh of relief.

"Long wait, everyone!"

The host of the election is a prestigious banquet emcee who has studied minstrel arts at Dragon Kiss Academy. He is standing on a specially designed hosting position, holding a special loudspeaker:

"Have you ever remembered that seventy years ago, when Lake, the 'White Devil' of Allenbia, swung his ax and split a man and a horse in half, the solid earth trembled! Fifty years ago, when the Great Desert 'Xiongnu' Mossago fought fiercely with Suye's 'Red Ghost' until the moon went down in the west and the sun rose in the east. Even if he had time, he would not give up! The master of the knight died in a battle with three enemies, which made even the most hard-hearted audience burst into tears! Thirty years ago, when Prince Horace, the "Light-tracing Sword", was unstoppable in winning ten battles, the entire Emerald City was overwhelmed. Everyone is cheering wildly!”

As usual, the venue for the meeting is a wide open space in the new suburbs - the terrain here is sunken, high on the outside and low on the inside. It is especially suitable for large-scale performances and group activities. It is usually an exchange market where merchants and vendors gather spontaneously, and on Boxing Day It is often booked as a theater for stage plays and even as a mission and evangelistic venue for Sunset Faith. Before and after the Emerald Ceremony, the place was cleaned up by the Emerald Legion early, and then the security officers set up the cordon. The craftsmen worked day and night, erecting fences, setting up shelves, pulling up tents, setting up passages, and laying carpets. Place seating platforms, seating platforms and even various temporary stands three or four stories high to create a large-scale annular arena.

The inner perimeter of the arena consists of different stands and preparation tents for the contestants. They are separated by curtains, parasols, fences and even human power. Although the stands can look at each other and even talk loudly, although the merchants, priests and officials can Nobles and other different people greeted each other warmly from the air. Although the servants in charge of logistics kept passing messages back and forth between the stands, the sergeants across the aisle, the guards guarding the curtains, and the servants showed their faces when passing messages. The family emblem or certificate all emphasize the hierarchical order here, which is clear and distinct and cannot be confused.

"And all these classic scenes in my memory all happened in our annual event that we are proud of. They happened in the most exciting moment, the most thrilling day, the most exciting occasion. Of course, they were also empty. A good opportunity to make money with your wallet or a handful of blood..."

The host's voice had the unique gorgeous accent and exaggerated drawl of the Emerald City, which was amplified by the circular layout of the arena and echoed in the slightly empty venue:

"With a glorious history of five hundred and fifty years - Iris Chosen General!"

Guests from all the major stands applauded politely, and many people cheered enthusiastically in cooperation. However, the entire arena still seemed sparse and empty, except for the most remote stands, including those outside the fence who could not enter the arena. They roared crazily and roared like a tsunami. , the sound shook the whole city, and some drunk guys even wanted to light fireworks to cheer up, but they were stopped in time by the conscientious security officers.

Excluding the citizens who were joining in the fun outside (including those who climbed onto rooftops or trees), this arena could have accommodated tens of thousands of spectators, even if it was not as good as the legendary miraculous building in the ancient empire that could accommodate 100,000 people." "Comorra Arena", but if placed in a corner of the Emerald City, it is quite impressive. However, due to the sudden murder of a vigilance officer this morning, this election will strictly limit the number of people entering the venue for security reasons. Only less than 30% of the limit will be opened. Many pre-sale tickets will be refunded and invalidated, while the Emerald Legion and Vigilance The security of officials is also extremely tight, and impostors and fooling around are strictly prohibited.

But things are rare and valuable, and the more so, the more people flock to them - nothing can prove a person's worth more than overcoming all odds to get a ticket to the election (not available to non-high-ranking officials, wealthy businessmen, and wealthy businessmen). status. It is said that as soon as the news of the limited capacity came out, in just a few hours, the price of a standing ticket at the far side of the hall, where you could only see the entrance and exit, went up to an outrageous ten gold coins.

("You're all here..." - a guest from the Far East who laughed loudly and generously gave money, but then silently lowered his head and felt aggrieved)

But spectators who have no chance to enter need not be disappointed, because the outside of the arena is even more lively: people are crowded outside the fence, and there are vendors everywhere shouting and selling, sneaky ticket sellers, gamblers opening the market outside, and local people. Restaurant owners setting tables and busy selling food and wine, buskers performing on the streets for rewards, preachers sent by churches seizing the opportunity, people discussing which business group sponsors fighters who can advance to the top eight, ocean-going shipping groups What rare and exotic beasts were brought back, and what rewards were given by the Duke and Prince. There was a buzz of people and bustling people, as if what was happening outside the arena at this moment was the real Emerald Celebration.

Compared with the atmosphere on the outside, the situation inside the fence is slightly weird: the soldiers and security officers at the exits and aisles are solemn and repressed, standing ready, alert to every guest who arrives, including their servants; the major stands in the front rows On the scene, spectators with various backgrounds brought their families and their families, some were sitting calmly, some were chatting and saying hello to each other, some were cheering and shouting without realizing it, and their performances varied; as for the warriors in the arena who were fully armed and warming up, some were gearing up. , wielding knives and swords to show off their skills, some greeted their acquaintances and exchanged harsh words, while others were getting ready for action with the help of their attendants, remaining calm and silent.

"Of course, first of all, we must thank our generous and wise city lord, the Duke of South Bank, Lord Jann Kelvindir. It is his hard work and strong support over the years that made this election possible and more lively and brilliant. The past!"

Under the gesture of the host, the audience in the arena turned their heads and looked at the highest three-story stand in the arena: the Lord of Emerald City still had that friendly and kind smile, looking towards the participants and other spectators in the stands. They waved.

"And our most distinguished guest, the heir to the kingdom, the Duke and Second Prince of Star Lake, His Highness Thales, who is famous as the North Star of the Western Continent! His presence demonstrates His Majesty the King's grand grace to the Emerald City, and is a blessing to all citizens and even the entire The honor of Nan'an Leader..."

Thales and Hillai sat on Zhan's left and right sides. The servants and guards were dismissed early by the three of them and could only serve as guards on the outside.

At this moment, the prince forced a smile and imitated the duke in waving to everyone, but found that wherever he faced, the cheers stopped abruptly and were replaced by ducking and whispering.

"Look, next to the Duke is Miss Hilley!"

"Hey, the three of them are sitting together. The atmosphere is so strange. It looks like..."

"Like a family? Bah!"

"Why is the prince here too? Didn't he just kill the people from Kongming Palace..."

"The more this happens, the more he has to attend so as not to appear guilty..."

"My uncle said he knew the dead police officer and said he had been bullied unreasonably by the prince these days..."

"Shh! Stop talking. There aren't many spectators. He might be able to see us..."

"Interesting, they must have made some kind of behind-the-scenes deal."

"Stop looking at him and look at today's handicap. Have you decided what bet you want to place?"

Thales could only sigh helplessly.

"You know, Thales, the earliest selection of generals was used by the Duke of Cork five hundred years ago to select generals and recruit troops to fight against the ever-increasing pressure of the Bright Star royal family," Zhan said with a smile to the people in the field. The contestants waved and said in malicious voices, "Does it look familiar?"

"But he finally chose a bright star son-in-law and resolved the crisis?" Xi Lai shrugged, trying to dismantle the situation in a very shameless manner.

Zhan's eyes sharpened, while Thales swallowed.

The Lord of Emerald City took a deep breath, smiled and nodded to the vassals in the opposite stand - Count Lasia and his eldest son of the Zeland - and made a voice that only the three of them could hear:

"Ignorance! Whose reputation do you think will be ruined by your dissolute and undisciplined behavior?"

"Of course it's yours, and Iris's, and maybe my father's grandfather's great-grandfather's ancestors...what else?"

Zhan's expression changed.

"You think you can kidnap the family's reputation to force me to submit?"

"Oh, you can't imagine this."

Not good.

"I swear, Zhan, I really don't know about dancing or anything like that." Against the Duke's murderous gaze, Thales interrupted them in a low voice to cool down the quarrel between the two brothers and sisters. "But in my experience, in public, "Well, maybe she really doesn't care and can really do it."

"What's your experience?"

Zhan's expression worsened, and his eyes circled around Thales like a vulture sizing up its prey on the ground.

Sitting on the other side, Hilley raised his eyebrows defiantly.

Realizing that he had said the wrong thing, Thales had no choice but to smile and shut up for the time being.

"...And we would also like to thank the generous Fragrance Chamber of Commerce, who funded the main construction work of the arena for this election!"

The host, who was on a mission, shouted as hard as he could, urging the election to continue:

"As well as the Mbuto Business Group, their sponsorship of banquet fireworks and food made this election more colorful! Don't forget the Gedez Blacksmith Workshop, which provided many contestants with protective gear. By the way, they are also one of the weapons suppliers of the Emerald Legion, and their quality is guaranteed! Thanks to Zeka Printing House, we can know the results of the election even if we are not at the venue, because they are responsible for copying and printing the flyers and documents! Sangare Farm is responsible for providing fodder and professional maintenance for the horses in this election, and the Emerald City Leather Guild has carefully inspected the saddle protective gear of all participants. Good horses with good saddles, and the knights will have a good harvest! The casino has issued trustworthy handicap and odds indicators for this election. They are also the only officially licensed betting casino. They have dedicated betting points both inside and outside the venue. We remind everyone that small gambling is pleasant and rational. Betting, and private gambling without official permission is illegal, and the Police Department will not tolerate it! There is also the Sanches Carpentry Workshop, they will spare no effort to maintain various installations during the election, including the large fences they are best at making. Stand! The Medic Theater Company will write a timeless stage script for the winner of this election, which will be performed in major theaters in the Goddess District soon! The Tanganga Sea Wolf Ocean Shipping Company is professional and transports it to us from the sea. All the ocean-going goods needed will be selected, and they will provide all the top eight winners and the finalists of the team battle with free homecoming tickets and discounted commuter coupons for a full five years. Of course, don’t forget the Emerald Legion and the new team! Suburban Police Department, they have joined forces, sacrificed themselves for others, and contributed a lot to the orderly process of the election. They deserve our respect, and among the contestants are the two warriors they selected! "

Damn it.

While listening to the names of these business groups' workshops, Thales figured it out: Holding this Emerald Festival, Zhan Zhan didn't spend much of the Emerald City's financial funds, and could he still make money back in the end?

Following the introduction by the host, the two contestants participating in the first round of one-on-one duel appeared fully armed on both sides of the arena. They raised their weapons in the most heroic posture and accepted the cheers and applause from various stands (and the field side bets).

Jenn stood up and raised his hands to greet the contestants, who also saluted the three dignitaries as they passed by the main stand.

"Okay, dear sister, now everyone is in the spotlight. If you want to dance or take off your clothes, please feel free to do it yourself." Zhan En regained his composure and was not intimidated by his sister at all. "If you dance well, maybe I will let you dance." Ashford's reward - you can make more money by keeping it than by performing on the street."

Xi Lai's eyes turned cold.

The next second, she stood up and stepped down!

"Eh!"

Thales quickly stood up and grabbed Xi Lai!

"You, are you really going?"

But he soon discovered that he didn't actually need to step forward: on the other side, Duke Zhan grabbed his sister's arm with a smile, his expression was calm, only his eyebrows twitched slightly.

The three of them stood up and stood in a row in the stands, with Heeley sandwiched in the middle. His arms were pulled behind each other in a weird posture.

Zhan's gaze was like a sword, passing by Shilai, and piercing Thales' hand holding Shilai's hand.

It was extremely cold.

Not good.

Thales could only smile.

"Are you... letting go?" Xi Lai, who was held in the middle, said with difficulty.

Thales quickly let go, but he never thought that Zhan would let go of Xi Lai at the same time like an electric shock!

boom!

There was a pitiful muffled sound, and Heeley hung on the railing in front of him, groaning in pain.

"You guys, hiss..."

Oops.

Thales was startled and quickly went to help her, but found that Zhan also stepped forward. After seeing each other's movements, the two of them paused and subconsciously retracted their outstretched hands.

"You can't even help me!" Xi Lai said painfully, holding on to the railing and rubbing his ribs.

Thales and Zhan looked at each other with complicated emotions.

The surrounding spectators saw what happened in the main stand and made a big commotion.

Zhan and Thales looked at each other, took a deep breath, and quickly stepped forward, holding on to the railing with Xi Lai. The three of them pretended to be looking out, looking at the contestants.

"Tell me, what are your suggestions?" the Duke said coldly.

Thales raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised.

"Look, he is not only my brother, but also the Duke of South Bank. We must force him to choose between bad and worse," Heeley rubbed his ribs and gave Thales a weak smile. "Unlike us, he still wants to be shameless..."

Thales looked strange when he heard this.

"You have to have a face." Zhan En said coldly, then smiled and waved to the contestants in the audience.

To the outside world, the three people in the stands were leaning on the railings, talking and laughing, having a good time.

At this moment, the host’s voice and the cheers of the audience overwhelmed their conversation:

"Stop talking nonsense, let's start the first round of competition! Distinguished guests, come on stage to choose your generals. If you have to win, you won't win! I'd rather be friends -"

The host paused and raised his arms high. The audience inside and outside the venue cooperated and skillfully shouted:

"Don't die by the enemy!!!"

As a bell rang, the band began to play passionate music, and the first round of competition began immediately: a scimitar warrior from Hamble faced off against a knight's son from the South Coast.

They were fully armed and riding on their respective mounts, charging toward each other with guns and shields. After a violent collision, they both fell off their horses.

"Mediocre hands," Glover looked at the duel with a frown in the aisle below the main stand, "Such a heavy armor, laborious, inefficient, and meaningless - will such a person come to participate in the election?"

The two people in the field got up with difficulty, threw away their long weapons, and drew out their machetes and steel swords.

"A long time ago, the heavier the armor, the better, and the harder the better - at that time humans were facing the ancient orcs," Miranda said thoughtfully, "Of course, until the various types of terminal powers appeared, , be it war, duel, or swordsmanship, everything has changed."

"Then the magic gun appeared, and everything was about to change again." Glover nodded.

"Hey, you know, these contestants are rich after a fight! In other words, the sponsors behind them are rich - the two war horses have their own sponsor groups, oh, and their weapons! "D.D watched the duel on the field with interest, looking at the odds sheet in his hand from time to time.

"I don't like the atmosphere. It's tacky and boring."

Amid waves of cheers, Paul Bozdorf stood in the aisle and crossed his arms, staring closely at the competition: "Especially this host, he turned the knights' martial arts competition into a show full of copper odor. ”

"Knight jousts are just performances." Morgan had no interest in jousting duels at all. He stared at the sergeants of the Emerald Legion on the opposite side. "If you don't want to perform, that's easy - just become a mercenary."

"Yes, it is indeed a performance, but it should be explained this way," Huaiya stood on the steps, looking away from Prince Thales above. "Knight competitions once flourished. It was a place where lords gathered allies to display their strength, repair armaments and recruit talents. Of course, it is also an ideal place for wandering and mercenary knights to become famous and stand out, providing a lot of creative material for the bards. "

While they were talking, the two warriors in the field were fighting hard with each sword, and from time to time they could hear the sound of the blades hitting the armor.

"The movement is slow, the attack is broken, and the hardest part of the armor is struck repeatedly." Glover frowned, "Is this a duel or a blacksmith?"

"I've seen it. There are quite a lot of people who signed up, but not many people passed the preliminary test." D.D raised a handicap odds guide with great interest, "And most of them are adventurers and mercenaries." Soldiers, foreign warriors, to be honest, few have received serious training as knights, or at least as attendants..."

"Historically, the Iris Selection will be a glorious knightly competition. All participating knights are the top masters of that era. They fight for their respective masters and their own honor, and even for the battle itself. So many legendary names, so many A classic duel..." Paul sighed, "But I think the knights of the past are no longer fashionable."

"The kind in the past?" D.D frowned.

"Those who were first called knights," Paul nodded, his eyes misty, "while possessing extraordinary power, they also had to bear more responsibilities. They had to mount war horses and stand up when danger came. Later, After the establishment of the empire, knights became an identity and a class, representing the warriors who conquered the world for the emperor. If a person wanted to become a knight, he had to follow another knight on the horse and fight in battles and training until he achieved meritorious deeds and gained recognition. Knight became a title, an honor, awarded by the king, and became a promotion level from common people to nobles, and later..."

Paul shook his head, looked at the crappy duel in the arena, and said nothing.

Everyone listened to Paul's words and couldn't help but lower their heads in thought.

Conmuto sighed:

"About this, I heard the old man say that the Iris Selection from a hundred or two hundred years ago will still have weight. They are all warriors selected from a hundred, the type to fight with blood. But in recent decades, not only have The quality of the candidates participating has declined, slipping from the extreme level to the super master, and then to... In short, the so-called winning knights selected are mixed, some are not worthy of the name, some have bad conduct and many evil deeds, and some have fallen into mistakes after becoming famous. Gradually, The election will be lost."

Everyone couldn't help but sigh when they heard this.

"He was eliminated."

Everyone turned around.

"Since the end of the 'Blood Debt War' and the promulgation of the Self-Defense Law, the war conflicts between the kingdom's lords have begun to decrease. After the High Nobles' Council and the Nobles' Affairs Council were established to arbitrate vassal disputes, private wars among the nobility have almost disappeared. , Wandering knights and hired knights gradually have nowhere to go, and the expensive and laborious knight competition has naturally lost its glory. As for the knights, since they have no place to use them..."

After Huaiya said this, he suddenly found that everyone was looking at him.

"Reference books for the royal guard's entry test," Wyatt reacted and quickly explained, "Why, you haven't read "On the Lord's Right of Self-Defense" by Bachelor Bona?"

Everyone in the Star Lake Guards looked at each other, except Rolf who snorted disdainfully.

"That's exactly how it should be," Paul sighed. "In fact, the Emerald Celebration still maintains a formal tradition, which is enough to surprise me."

The first round of competition ended quickly: Humble's warrior was not familiar with the terrain and was not used to the earthy ground of the Emerald City. He stumbled and fell to the ground. The opponent took the opportunity to press on him, attack with a sword or knock on his helmet. Although it was basically ineffective, it prevented the Humble people from getting up again. The latter was so dizzy that they had to throw away their weapons and shout to surrender.

The losers were pulled up from the mud by servants, while the victors struggled to take off their helmets amidst cheers, waved desperately to the audience, and received a shower of flowers and even coins.

Everyone shook their heads again.

"I heard from my friends that the last glory was about thirty years ago, when the late king and his family came to the Emerald City. It was the most grand election in the past half century, from the Western Wasteland to the East China Sea, from the cliff to the blade. More than half of the kingdom is here, and the guests are all here. The occasion is unprecedented," Conmuto broke the silence. "Whether it is the knights and warriors in the field, the troupe and band in the banquet, or even the young ladies in the audience, everyone is fighting for their heads. , I don’t want to express myself and show off my skills in front of the king and the duke.”

"The late king?" Miranda raised her eyebrows: "Wait a minute, I also heard from my uncles when I was a child that they participated in a martial arts competition in the Emerald City a long time ago."

"But it is said that at that election, the winner of the tournament pretended to be the winner, which brought shame to the Emerald City and humiliated the election." Conmuto shook his head, "It was not a big deal in the first place, but for some reason, in that election After that, no matter whether it was participating in the competition or attending the ceremony, no important big families or knights came to participate in the election, and the lords no longer canonized knights or recruited vassals on the spot. In short, it has declined year after year and has never recovered. "

"So the general election took advantage of the loophole and came up with this method: Let businessmen contribute funds to participate and make profits on the way?"

Huaiya frowned: a man holding a "Gedez Blacksmith Workshop" sign walked into the field and loudly announced to people that the winner was wearing armor produced by his family. It was of good quality and the iron and steel must be good.

Paul shook his head in disdain.

"I think it's pretty good. Hmm, the knight's competition sounds nice, but it's all about honors, achievements, rankings, who you fight for, who you dedicate the victory to, etc. It's so complicated, it's not tiring. ?"

D.D bought a bag of fruits from the sidelines and happily brought it to him:

"Like now, we all get together, eat delicious food, drink fine wine, wave flags, cheer and cheer, have fun all day long, make money and have fun, isn't it good?"

Everyone looked at him with contempt.

"They can have fun, we can't."

Flag Officer Hugo turned around and said quietly:

"Don't forget His Highness's reminder: be vigilant, we don't want to welcome another Anke Bailar."

These words made everyone shudder, cheer up again, and start to pay attention to their surroundings. Even D.D hid the fruits behind their backs.

At this moment, surrounded by everyone, the three people sitting back in their seats in the main stand were having a not-so-proper conversation.

"Well, first of all, let's make sure that our goals should be the same." Hilley became the host of the conversation, echoing the cheers and fighting sounds in the arena. "Now, the king wants to Emerald City, and we..."

"How did you know?" Zhan narrowed his eyes and looked at Thales, "You told her and got her involved?"

As the Duke spoke, he did not forget to show his most cordial smile to the stands diagonally across the way, where Ambassador Hasha of Tyrone raised his hand in return.

Thales snorted slightly with disdain:

"I realized, you really don't understand your sister, right?"

"I know you," the Duke's eyes turned cold. "You are always self-righteous, but you are always trapped in a cocoon."

"I told you, Zhan, they are going to take action," Thales kept smiling, and his voice was only heard by brother and sister Kevin Dill, "And you, you haven't figured out until now, the most dangerous person in the Emerald City Where is the enemy, right?"

"That's a mistake only Yankees make. They mistake a dangerous scourge for a harmless hostage." Jenn waved gracefully to a group of businessmen in the stands in the distance, receiving a burst of cheers and praises. "And I, I Know exactly where the enemy is."

He glanced at Thales, smiling with a knife hidden in his face.

Another stand noticed that the Duke was looking at them. The local vassals on the stand all stood up and saluted the three nobles. Only the little Count Pintor looked ugly.

"Dangerous Bane" himself sighed helplessly: "Okay, Zhan, but you have to know that I am the only one who can help you in the Emerald City now..."

But Zhan En retorted:

"Help me escalate the situation and worsen the situation? Just like you did in the Blood Bottle Gang?"

"stop!"

Xi Lai couldn't listen any more, and she waved her hand seriously to interrupt the two of them:

"Okay, the first round is over, and now it's referee time: Listen, we don't know what the secret department will do, but we don't want to cause a big mess... So, from now on, we must spread all the information Open sharing on desktop, do you agree?”

Thales snorted lightly, while Zhan looked at his sister for a long time before reluctantly nodding.

"What do you know about Kaguire's death?" Thales asked first at Hilley's signal.

"No more than you," Zhan shook his head, "What do you know?"

"Definitely less than you," Thales shrugged, "What's going on with the Blood Bottle Gang? Is it still running?"

"How do I know," Zhan's eyes moved slightly, "where is Kathleen?"

"I can't find any place," Thales curled his lips, "What's the rumor about?"

"I don't know..."

"Hey! Boys!"

Hilley once again interrupted them unbearably and waved his hands:

"Asking questions without answering is not the way to have a conversation, okay?"

Zhan and Thales looked at each other and raised their eyebrows.

There were cheers and sighs in the field, and the winner of the second duel was decided: a serrated knife user won the game by relying on his tricky weapon advantage. He was proudly walking around the field accompanied by a merchant, and introduced this store by the way. The craftsmanship of the weapons shop.

In the main stand, Hilley exhaled and made up his mind.

"Okay, second round, get up, get up, I'm talking about you, Zhan, get up, let me sit in the middle!"

Under Sheilai's unquestionable gaze, Zhan reluctantly stood up and asked the eldest lady to sit in the middle, which naturally aroused discussion among other audience members.

"Very good," Xi Lai sat down safely, folded his arms, and glanced at the two people on the left and right, "Now, I will ask, and you will answer."

Thales and Zhan both frowned.

Hilley turned to Jenn:

"First of all, Caguire, what do you know?"

"He's dead." Zhan said coldly.

Seeing that Zhan cherished his words like gold, Hilley had to resist the twitching of his eyebrows and turned to Thales: "What about you? What do you know?"

Thales spread his hands and said, "He died miserably."

Hilley took a deep breath and went back to ask Zhan:

"Have you visited the Blood Bottle Gang? How is it?"

"Not good, chaos."

Hilley frowned and turned to Thales:

"Where is Kathleen?"

"A bad and confusing place."

boom!

Xi Lai slapped the seat, making both of them shocked.

The eldest lady raised her head and showed a chilling smile:

"Okay, I've had enough, mom."

Her smile was quite scary, and both Thales and Zhan subconsciously sat upright.

Heilai took a deep breath.

"Let's do this, round three: when I take off my clothes later, you all should cooperate, okay?"

Thales and Zhan were both stunned.

"Ah, taking it off again? No, that's not good, right?" Thales looked at her dress with a strange look on his face.

"If you think you can threaten me with this matter twice..." Zhan En's eyes were filled with anger.

But the next moment, Heeley stretched out his left hand, clasped the glove on his right hand, and pulled it outward!

Both of them were shocked, but it was Zhan who reacted the fastest and grabbed Xi Lai's right hand!

"what are you doing?"

Zhan was shocked and angry, and at the same time looked at Thales with fear, and then looked at the surrounding stands.

Fortunately, the host was still provocatively introducing the third pair of warriors in the arena, a local black-armored foot knight versus a thorny red-armored knight.

Thales frowned tightly: Hilley's right glove had been partially pulled out, revealing a section of ugly skin covered with burn scars on his wrist.

"What to do? Of course I want to show them the real me!"

Hilley was beaming, not caring, and even waving around to attract attention:

"Let me show you what the hands I have hidden for so many years look like!"

boom!

With a muffled sound, the outcome of this fight was decided very quickly. The knight on foot was lucky. With a blow of his long sword, the gap in the shoulder armor of the red-armored knight was broken.

Amid cheers, the red-armored knight was carried off the field and angrily argued with the armor's maintainer.

"Oh, oh! Heilai, what you said was that you were taking off your gloves." Thales suddenly realized.

Zhan stared at him with hostility.

"Otherwise? What do you think it is?" Xi Lai looked back at him strangely.

Thales reacted and rubbed his hands awkwardly:

"No, no, no, Heeley, I mean, it's good. You choose to free your hands, show your true self, and be honest with everyone. That's good. I support it, absolutely support it, raise my hands to support it, but it's not the time to change the situation. Step by step..."

Zhan En's eyes were gloomy: "He knows?"

"Of course he knows!" Xi Lai said impatiently and tugged on his hand, but failed to escape from his brother's grasp, "Stop pretending, you even knew that we were performing on the street yesterday, how could you not know that he knew? "

Thales sighed with a headache.

"Stop being ridiculous, Heeley!"

Zhan clasped Sheilai's hand tightly, preventing her from taking off her gloves. At the same time, she stared at Thales warily, but the latter could only smile innocently.

Seeing that he could not break free, Xi Lai was not ashamed and angry, but raised his eyebrows:

"It doesn't matter, I still have one hand anyway..."

After saying this, she raised her left hand and bit the cot of her middle finger.

Zhan's expression changed again.

Snapped!

The next second, Thales held down Shilai's hand firmly, preventing her from biting off the glove.

Zhan was relieved.

At this moment, Miss Kevin Dill, who was sitting in the middle, was held tightly by her brothers and the prince, holding her hands tightly. This attracted the attention of many people, and everyone was speculating about what happened between the three people in the stands. what.

"Hello!"

Hilley looked at Thales in surprise:

"Didn't you just say that you would raise your hands to support me?"

"Yes," Thales held down Hilley's left hand with both hands and showed a bad smile, "Aren't these exactly two hands?"

Hilley's eyes widened.

"That's enough!" Zhan gritted his teeth and held down Heeley's six fingers to prevent them from being exposed in front of others. "Whether it's dancing or this, there's no need for you to threaten me with self-destruction."

Xi Lai chuckled:

"Believe it or not, Jenn, I'm not self-destructive, at least not in my way - I'm just forcing you to choose between bad and worse."

Zhan frowned and looked at Thales, his eyes looking for help for the first time.

"Xilai, listen to me, I know you are working hard..."

Thales took a deep breath and said to Hilley seriously: "However, healing a scar does not mean that it must be torn open bloody."

Xi Lai trembled when he heard this.

But just a few seconds later, the trembling in her eyes turned into a desperate determination, and the eldest lady smiled slightly:

"You're right, I'm just going to tear it apart."

She turned to Jenn:

"Not only that, I also want to tell you that when the Emerald City was trying its best to eradicate witchcraft and superstition, the Duke's family gave birth to a six-fingered deformed daughter. She was frail and sick since she was a child and was raised in a boudoir. She was also suspected of being possessed by a lunatic demon. , was sent to the temple for exorcism, but the Iris family hid it from the outside world and disguised her as a healthy person for more than ten years..."

Zhan's eyes changed.

"It's a pity that she still exposed her secret. Under Prince Thales' reasonable suspicion and repeated insistence, she will be sent to the Sunset Temple or even the Secret Department again to check to see if there are any horrible evil spirits and forbidden secret methods that should not be there. , Harmful witchcraft and so on..."

Hilley kept talking, and now it was Thales' turn to have a headache.

"Zhan, you know me, I, uh, I..."

"That's not true. Yesterday, he knew everything, saw everything, and understood everything clearly." Hilley turned the gun and sighed, "Now, he holds the secrets of your sister, me, and the Iris family." handle."

Zhan's eyelids twitched, and something was wrong with the way he looked at Thales.

What?

Thales looked at Shilay in disbelief.

"So I think, if he doesn't cooperate today, maybe you have to prepare for the worst, Zhan, because he may be the last straw that breaks the Emerald City's back..."

worst plans.

Thales's heart pounded, and he began to think about whether relying on the Star Lake Guards would be enough for him to escape from the heavily guarded arena.

At this moment, the audience stirred again: this time, the contestant was a tall and strong man. He roared and beat his opponent until his bones were broken, but it was not enough until he was pulled away by the sergeants.

"Okay." Zhan exhaled in the stands, his eyes full of exhaustion.

He let go of Sheeley's hand and gave the winner a rare, perfunctory, listless ovation.

"Caguire's death was committed by the same group of people as the previous murders." The Duke said gloomily.

Xi Lai's eyes lit up and she turned to Thales.

The prince also sighed helplessly.

"My people found out," he shrugged, "Kaguire probably has something in common with the previous deceased, and may be a member of a certain group."

"Your people are right," Zhan said in a deep voice, "Moss, Diop, Rene, Slimani, Caguire...according to my guess, they were all involved in the same incident. Killed."

"Look, you can still talk well, right?" Heilai frowned: "What's the matter?"

Zhan glanced at Xi Lai and said nothing.

"Zhan?" Thales asked.

"What did the king send you to do?" Zhan asked instead without answering.

Thales paused, but Hilley looked at him sternly.

All right.

"That's right, the task the king gave me, or what he threatened me to do," Thales sighed, "is to depose the Duke, and by the way, destroy Zhan and give him the money for the Emerald City."

Zhan's expression became more and more tense: "Really? No room left at all? Without Kevin Dill, who can he rely on to help him enforce the law and collect taxes, help him balance the situation, help him conquer the South Bank, and rely on the capital to help him?" Those officials who have never been to the Emerald City a few times in their lives and can’t even calculate the accounts clearly?”

Hilley narrowed his eyes.

"But! But I have the power to make decisions on the spur of the moment," Thales said before the other party became unfriendly. "I can act independently of the Secret Service and decide independently when to act, how to intervene, and to what extent I can achieve things. ”

"Decision on the spur of the moment?" the Duke snorted, "You mean, instead of asking me to get out, you can at least take away my title of Duke with a kind face and a smile?"

Thales ignored his sarcasm:

"Therefore, Zhan, I may not be your friend, no, I should be one of your enemies, but in the current situation, among so many dangerous enemies, I am also your only hope, so that you can Minimum cost, hope of getting through this smoothly.”

Zhan stared at Thales closely, without saying a word, with deep eyes.

Thales sighed.

"Jane," Healy urged, "trust me, if you had seen what I saw yesterday, you would know that the situation is urgent and we have to make a choice."

Zhan suddenly raised his eyes:

"You, when did you start hanging out with him?"

Hilley paused for a moment.

"You made a mistake," Thales took over at the right time. "What you should ask is, when did I start working with her?"

Zhan En didn't speak, but his eyes moved and he looked at the two of them respectively.

Both Thales and Hilley said nothing, waiting for the Duke's decision.

The Lord of the Emerald City turned his head and waved to the balcony at the other end. A figure sitting under a parasol - Le Corleone from the Kingdom of Night appeared just before evening and nodded to them.

On the other side, Yannick Houllier from the Feast Leader also bowed to them with a smile on his face.

"Sister, when can you make me worry less?" the Duke said softly.

Xi Lai put his hand on his chest and smiled slightly:

"Each other."

After a few seconds, Zhan took a deep breath and looked at Thales:

"Decision on the spur of the moment?"

When Thales got the answer, he smiled slightly:

"Discretion."

Zhan sneered in response.

The two met their eyes and reached a consensus in an instant.

Only Xi Lai narrowed his eyes suspiciously: "Then..."

Thales took a deep breath:

"The Blood Bottle Gang fell into chaos after seizing power. Katherine fled to the Brotherhood's territory, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack."

Zhan En took the words very quickly:

"After Caguire's death, all the rumors they released pointed to you, or in other words, forced you to investigate this matter."

"That Lausanne lost power during the war between the Blood Bottle Gang and the Brotherhood, but there was something hidden behind it - he was betrayed by an old member like Catherine."

"There is another deceased person," Thales shook his head. "My people also found out that before Slimani, there was another underground black boxer who also died. His identity was incompatible with the other deceased people, but he was also regarded as You covered it up."

"That boxer's name is Bolwin. He's one round younger than the others." Zhan's eyes dimmed. "He is the key to everything."

"Boerwin? Is that Boerwin?" Hilley looked up in surprise.

Thales asked in confusion: "Who? What's wrong with this person?"

Zhan nodded thoughtfully:

"What matters is not the boxer Bolwyn, but his last name, his father, the killer, old Bolwyn."

Thales's gaze moved, and Shilai's eyes widened.

Finally, several highly skilled contestants appeared in the arena. They fought with real swords and guns, and even got injured and drew blood, which made the audience excited.

"Old Bolwin was a hired killer, very skilled and expensive," Zhan En said quietly in the stands, "and his last business was to be bribed by a powerful employer to sneak into the Kongming Palace. , assassinated the then Guardian Duke of South Shore - Leinster Kevin Dill."

Thales' eyes widened.

Zhan turned to Thales, his eyes ashen:

"My father."

The arena was filled with colorful sounds, and the host impassionedly described how earth-shattering the battle just now was and how rare it was in the world, but the three people in the stands paid no attention to it.

"I don't understand," Thales clenched his fists in disbelief, "Old Bolwin is a killer and killed your father, so why should he do it to his son..."

Zhan interrupted him:

"After the incident that year, Old Bolwyn was arrested and captured. Before his death, he confessed to his briber, the murderer behind the murder of the Duke of Leinster..."

Thales remembered something and was shocked.

"Father's younger brother, our biological uncle," Hillai took over the topic in a daze, "former Viscount of Gonghai City - Sona Kelvindir."

Time stopped for a moment.

Thales said nothing.

"In this way, Viscount Sonar's conspiracy was exposed and he committed suicide in prison out of fear of crime," Zhan's voice was hoarse. "And I was urgently recalled from overseas to inherit the title of Duke of Emerald City and South Bank."

The drums in the arena sounded, and the next team battle began again.

Jenn took a deep breath.

"Today, starting from the wine merchants, everyone they killed was more or less related to the major rebellion back then. Every killing was carried out with great fanfare, hoping to make it known to everyone and start a bloody storm."

Zhan stood up and walked towards the railing of the main stand, overlooking the wide arena, with a cold voice.

"And with all my efforts, I can only cover up part of it, but I can't help but miss some clues that will allow you to trace it here."

He stared at the dark clouds in the distant sky and the Kongming Palace standing like a giant under the dark clouds.

"Yes, I suspect that those who were used by the kingdom's secret department to deal with me this time were my uncle's old forces, those frustrated people who failed in their rebellion and escaped."

Hilley covered her mouth in surprise.

"This is revenge, a desperate and crazy revenge carried out through royal power."

Thales frowned.

"To the Emerald City, to the Kongming Palace, to the iris, to today's Kevin Dill," Zhan paused, "to me, even to Xi Lai..."

The Duke of Nan'an's eyes revealed a sharp light:

"revenge."

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