Kingdom’s Bloodline

Chapter 737 Overestimation

The effect of meeting the two Kevin Deeres was immediate.

Throughout the day, Thales continued to send out warrants and letters, inviting guests from different walks of life, classes, and identities to come to Kongming Palace for a while.

The first person to arrive was "Sea Wolf" Tanganga.

Compared with the gorgeous clothes and perfume on the day of the competition banquet, the famous ship owner of the Emerald City was wearing a simple to a bit old sailing coat today, wearing thick captain's gloves instead of gemstone rings, and a yellow necklace around his neck. He wears a sweat towel, has a ferocious face, and speaks rudely. He exudes an innate pirate spirit from the inside out.

As soon as he entered the luxurious study of the prince (to be precise, Duke Zhan), he began to marvel at the furnishings inside and exchanged over-enthusiastic greetings. On the way, he frequently looked at Thales' face - the bruises on it were really obvious. It's impossible to ignore.

"Hit by Zhan."

Under the classic portrait of the first Duke Kevin Deere, Thales replied without raising his head, and by the way, he wrote "no money" on the report of the Midian District Police Department's application for increasing security expenses.

Tanganga's smile disappeared.

He shrank and rubbed his hands, his eyes hesitant, as if he had asked the wrong question and was at a loss as to what to do.

No, he did it on purpose.

Thales raised his head and looked at the person in front of him, and the voice in his heart sounded again:

This former pirate likes luxury and enjoys enjoyment by nature, but he heard the news from somewhere and learned that the prince was in a difficult situation and even lacked money. Therefore, before the audience, he took off his jewelry and changed out of his fine clothes, dressing up in a shabby and tacky way. Deliberately acting careless or even rude and stupid to avoid the prince's anger and sharpness.

Thinking of this, Thales couldn't help but narrow his eyes. He took back the report just now from Huaiya, crossed out "no money" and wrote "please forward to the Financial Secretary for discussion", indicating that Huaiya would explain something to the guest. .

Sea Wolf was not invited here for no reason:

Recently, His Royal Highness received reports from people in Kongming Palace and learned that a small group of "organized criminals" on armed merchant ships had appeared on the routes around the Nan'an Territory, patrolling back and forth, stopping the ships arbitrarily, and boarding the ships. The ship was "inspected" and forcibly collected tolls and protection fees on the grounds that "the Duke has fallen and the license he issued no longer works."

This has triggered a series of changes, from rising shipping costs and delays in the arrival of ships into ports, to obstruction of the lifeline of freight, and a sharp decline in confidence in sea trade. Then to worried businessmen, they either hoard goods or sell goods at low prices, causing market fluctuations and prices to deviate from normalcy. Even small and medium-sized handicraftsmen are complaining, citizens and business travelers in the city are panicking, and sinister rumors such as "The Emerald City is really coming to an end" have become rampant again...

"What?"

Tanganga hurriedly called out before Huai Ya finished his statement. First he looked in disbelief, "It's so unreasonable that this happened in the Kingdom's waters." Then, "Your Highness clearly knows that our Seawolf fleet is also a victim." There are "The general environment is like this, there is no way we can raise prices", and even the slightly rogue "Oh, the world is like this, this can teach us what to do"...

"I don't want to hear these reasons," Thales replied to the official document expressionlessly, "and I don't want to know what role you played in the process, but you have one day - just one day."

Tanganga frowned.

"If you can't solve the problem and restore the shipping order in the Emerald City within one day, Tanganga," the prince lowered his head and asked at the Civil Code Office to set up twenty monuments at the city gate, with the words "Tel" engraved on them. Prince Si drew a big dog’s head on the official document with the famous saying of “instructing the people”, “Then I will have to deal with you.”

Tanganga's expression froze.

The former pirate's expression changed many times in that second, from dissatisfaction to ferocity, and from anger to grievance, but it was all well concealed.

Finally, he glanced at the bruises on the prince's face, at the attendants guarding the prince, and then at Morgan and Custa guarding the door, as well as at the vigilant Batista and Batista standing in the corner. Nexi's expression returned to calm.

He changed his strategy. First he was filled with indignation, "This is all what the evil Zhan forced us to do." Then he complained aggrievedly, "We don't want to be involved in the war between the prince and the duke." Finally, he burst into tears, "We have no choice but to be alone." A lonely person is weak and powerless to resist"...

Tanganga had a lot of reasons, starting from the fact that the Sea Wolf tribe was defeated and exiled in a foreign land, and they were taken in by Zhan En with great mercy. They could not repay the favor, and they finally settled in the Emerald City for more than ten years. He had a place in the fleet, but he never thought that his weakness would be taken advantage of, and he could not resist easily. He also mentioned that Zhan En had money and power, and was pervasive with coercion and inducement. He had full control of their fleet and bossed them around. Tanganga was a mermaid and could only subjugate him. Being humble and small, he has been working hard for decades, and when he talks about emotional points, he bursts into tears, and even Thales can't help but be moved.

“So that’s it,” Thales mused, painting the dog’s head on the official document with ferocious fangs, “At the previous fight banquet, Zhan said that anyone could betray him, but only Tanganga couldn’t— —I guess it’s because he can take advantage of your weak spot and destroy your fleet in a matter of seconds.”

Under the strange looks of the surrounding guards, Tanganga burst into tears and nodded bitterly:

"Your Highness Mingjian, we are really..."

"No wonder."

Thales sighed and put down his pen:

"No wonder you have to go all the way to the Kingdom of Darkness, stuff Federico and his killers into your bilge, and sneak them back to murder Zhan."

As soon as the words fell, Tanganga's sobs stopped abruptly.

The entire study fell silent, and the guards present all looked sideways.

"Dian, no, I..."

Taking advantage of the moment when Tanganga looked horrified and speechless, Thales picked up a pen, sincerely and conscientiously copied a letter of thanks based on the draft provided by Ashford's butler, and sent it to the Emerald City. Funeral giant Madam Tuolier of the Popon family returned a debt of 35,118 gold coins and 9 silver coins plus four coppers from the Kongming Palace in advance, and the check was redeemed directly. His Royal Highness's desk.

In addition, the old lady also hinted warmly and coldly in the letter that if there is any shortage, the Popon family will be happy to provide services of equal value, such as providing a series of services from coffin making to cutting monuments, from tomb excavation to funeral services for the prince himself. Distinguished service.

("Of course, His Highness the Prince is in good health and has a long life, so he will probably not be able to use it in the short term" - the old lady's handwritten letter)

It is a pity that the Bright Star royal family has had a tradition of cremation since King "Black Eyed" John I. In the face of such enthusiasm, Thales, no matter how greedy he was, could only thank him indifferently.

("What does it mean to be greedy for money? Thor, don't say it so harshly. This is called the cycle of life..." - His Royal Highness held up the 35,000 gold coin redemption ticket and smelled the scent of ink on it, so grumbling)

In the study, Tanganga finally calmed down from the initial tremor, but the next few minutes were slightly awkward.

To sum up, it is probably that the captain of the Sea Wolf who reacted first tried his best to complain, refused to admit it to death, and asked to refute the rumors. However, in the face of the "Kongming Palace public clue report", which has a reliable source and iron-clad evidence, he returned the people's wishes and was even more irrefutable. , he was ultimately defeated.

The famous Sea Wolf suddenly came to his senses in front of His Highness the Prince, who represented justice and law, and sincerely repented:

"Oh, Your Highness... I have a few new sailors under me who signed temporary short-term contracts. They are not familiar with the business. In a hurry, they accidentally accepted a business and escorted the big shots of the Kingdom of Darkness to the Emerald City... No Yes, it was Count Li! But I swear, the whole process was done by those temporary sailors. I have no idea what entourage the vampires brought in the cabin... Of course, although I didn't know about it or participated in it, Inexplicably, I was innocently implicated, but I am their ship owner after all. It is my fault that the supervision is not strict and the supervision is not effective. I am fully responsible and will never shirk responsibility..."

"oh?"

"I swear, I really didn't know when they came. Your Highness, you know that vampires act mysteriously and never allow anyone to ask questions...I, I really have never participated in their conspiracy to murder the Duke. If I had been in advance You know, then I... Then I won't carry it no matter how much money they give me... I immediately realized my mistake after the incident and took immediate measures to fire those short-term sailors at sea... Alas, this is the point of my oversight. , I really regret it... But for God's sake, I have never thought of betrayal, let alone plotting to kill Duke Zhan! Your Highness, you have to believe me!"

Thales scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Oh, that's it... of course I believe you. After all, who has no faults?"

Tanganga burst into tears of gratitude until the prince's next words:

"But does Zhan Enxiang believe it?"

Tanganga's crying face froze.

Without even looking at him, Thales first drew an exaggerated two-color cow cat on the cover of the 170-page summary (boast) report of the Urban Management Bureau on the Nightlong Banquet.

He then wrote in another letter of apology that came with the official document, titled "Reflection and Apology" but it was actually a strange letter of apology ("Since the seal of His Highness' palm was clear, the whole city was excited, and the torrent was surging. Everyone in the government office ignored their personal salary and dealt with the case. He is more generous than before, working day and night, working day and night, not caring about you or me. He has not dared to slack off even if he sacrificed his life and death. I have been in Jade for thirty years, but I have never been able to work as hard as Your Highness. , encourage people to make progress, bring benefits to the whole city, this is the great regret of the south bank, the great blessing of the kingdom, the great sage in the world, and the great vision of the eternal history. Make up for the debt."

"Ju Guan, you are a hammer - I'm sorry, I didn't mean you... By the way, I heard from Zhan En that your Sea Wolf business is not only bodyguards and transportation, but also occasionally engages in kidnapping and extortion?"

Thales said as he wrote, intentionally or unintentionally:

"Then, more than ten years ago, your people were also driving the ship that sent Federico to the high seas and finally let him go - hahaha, just kidding, just a joke! Of course I know that It's not you... It's just a coincidence, and it happened on the sea and on the ship... If I were Zhan, tsk tsk... Oh, don't be nervous, even if Zhan knows, as long as the Kingdom of Darkness and Federico are willing to testify for you , prove that you are innocent and implicated... Hey, it doesn't matter even if no one testifies... With Zhan En's character of knowing everything, being meticulous, not rubbing sand in his eyes, and not allowing unjust cases in his hands, well, I guess he won't doubt you. of loyalty..."

Under Tanganga's constantly changing expressions and eyes, Thales calmly folded the letter to Mrs. Toriel and handed it to Wyatt to put in the letter crow's leg.

"...At most I doubt your ability."

Tanganga just wiped away her tears and turned pale.

He looked up at the wall behind Thales - the first Duke of South Shore in the frame, "Deadly Iris", was calmly playing with a dagger, with the corners of his mouth raised, half-smiling.

"Your Highness, may I ask, how did you know that Master Federico boarded my ship and came here as a smuggler..."

Because one of your passengers has a loose mouth.

"Report from the public with clues." Thales said softly.

Tanganga frowned.

After several seconds of painful hesitation, he gritted his teeth.

"But if I help you with this 'little favor', and after Master Zhan is released from prison, he finds that I fail to carry out his orders, and even suspects that you summoned me today..."

"Not to mention whether he can come out," Thales said softly, "but if that day comes, you would rather let Zhan blame you for being too timid and unable to withstand the coercion and intimidation of the second prince... "

The prince paused for a second.

"Or would you rather teach him to doubt: Are you too courageous, and have you deliberately planned to subvert Kongming Palace from the beginning?"

At that moment, Tanganga's eyes widened.

The closed-door meeting between Prince Thales and the owner of Tanganga finally ended successfully in a warm, harmonious and joyful atmosphere.

At the meeting, the Tanganga shipowner expressed his firm confidence in supporting the enlightened rule of Prince Thales, his firm determination to maintain order and stability in the Emerald City, and his firm determination to protect the personal and property safety of residents on the south coast.

He emphasized that the Seawolf Ship Group will lead by example, starting from me, and take the lead in launching self-examination, self-correction, self-examination and self-policing among all employees of the group, and vigorously rectify the widespread problems in the ship group, such as temporary employees' lax self-discipline, public and private affairs, etc. We should deeply reflect on the shortcomings and problems of indiscriminate thinking, slippery thinking, and deficient behavior, draw inferences from one example, check for omissions and fill in the gaps, correct mistakes, and never make them again, and at the same time urge colleagues in the industry to vigorously follow up, go hand in hand, and leap forward together. Work hard and forge ahead.

At the same time, the ship owner refuted the ridiculous rumors in the Emerald City. He pointed out: There were no "maritime organized speculative criminals" in the waters surrounding the South Coast Territory in the past, there are no now, and there will never be "maritime organized speculative criminals" in the future. The waters around the South Coast Territory have always been peaceful. It is safe, stable and orderly, with smooth flow of goods and orderly shipping.

In view of this, the concerns of a small number of industrial and commercial people about the local business environment, route safety and market order are redundant and unnecessary. The Emerald City still has the healthiest, safest, most dynamic and most development prospects in the world. economic and trade cooperation market.

In addition, the Tanganga shipowner also strongly criticized the short-sighted behavior of a small group of selfish businessmen and craftsmen who do not know themselves, blindly follow the trend, spread rumors, buy and sell on top, disrupt the market, and ultimately harm others and themselves. He believes that under the wise leadership of Prince Thales, the Emerald City will surely recreate its glorious history as the City of Queens, City of Wealth, and City of Dreams.

His Majesty Kessel’s personal envoy, the Duke of Star Lake Castle, the second prince, the first heir to the royal family, and the acting Lord of the Emerald City, His Highness Thales, expressed high appreciation and support for the Tanganga ship owner’s speech and position. He emphasized to the participants: As the saying goes, there is no wind without waves, and there is no wind without wind. The Emerald City is a well-known city under the rule of law in the Kingdom. It will never allow hostile elements with ulterior motives to spread rumors and cause chaos to divide unity, endanger people's livelihood, undermine confidence, and serve their ulterior and despicable purposes.

Both parties at the meeting had candid, constructive and productive communication. At the end of the meeting, His Highness personally escorted Captain Tanganga to the door of the study, waved and said goodbye.

The prince's aide-de-camp Wyatt Castle accompanied the meeting.

"Next time, Tanganga," Thales added nonchalantly before seeing him off, "If you don't want the news to leak, then choose your clients carefully."

Tanganga's eyes trembled, thoughtfully.

After sending away the worried Tanganga, Thales sat behind the desk, looking at the slowly closing door, lost in thought.

Do you feel it, Thales?

The voice in his heart said to him:

Do you see the true nature of this pirate?

He has no intention of serving you, but in the end he has to.

This is the role that the power gap can play.

Whether it is the gap between big and small, the gap between presence and absence, or the gap between knowledge and ignorance.

It controls, forces, and motivates people to do things that are beyond common sense, beyond their duties, beyond their interests, and beyond their rationality.

Thinking of this, Thales sighed helplessly: Yes.

Tanganga was so frightened by my mere words.

No, Thales, don't be stupid.

The voice in his heart faintly retorted to him:

What he is afraid of is never your words.

Thales' smile disappeared.

"Waiya, do you believe in our captain Tanganga and that he did not betray Zhan En?" the prince said quietly.

The attendant who was sorting out official documents was startled when he heard this.

"I don't know, Your Highness," Wyatt spoke cautiously, choosing his words carefully, "But from what I saw just now, I don't think he - at least it doesn't look like - has such courage."

"I think so too," Thales nodded. "There are hundreds of people in the entire fleet, and their lives and livelihoods are in the hands of the other party. He is afraid of Zhan En, afraid of Zhan En, and he dare not betray him."

"That means he was indeed deceived..."

"But he is a human being, and he has something much more complicated than fear, courage, loyalty, and even interests."

Waiya looked puzzled.

Thales leaned back in his chair and stared at the portrait of "Deadly Iris" on the wall in trance.

"Tanganga is a veteran at sea for many years. He definitely knew that there was something wrong with that business, but he neither refused nor supported it. Instead, he remained silent and stood by."

Jealousy, injustice, indignation, luck, laziness, greed, caution, philistine, cruelty, impulsiveness...

Thales kept counting what he had just read from Tanganga's eyes:

All of these things come together and are constantly changing back and forth every moment, making Tanganga a complex and changeable person:

Sometimes he is jealous of Zhan En, sometimes he is extremely afraid of him; sometimes he is gnashing his teeth and full of resentment, sometimes he is satisfied and even sheds tears of gratitude; sometimes he is grateful for the strength of his backing, sometimes he blames his financial sponsor for using his power to boss him around; sometimes he is cunning and calculating to add insult to injury, Sometimes he wants to pretend to be deaf and dumb to protect himself; sometimes he hopes that the Emerald City will prosper so that he can continue to make a fortune; sometimes he gloats over the possible decline of Iris and wants to get a share of the pie...

And all the complex possibilities, push or pull, ended the moment the group of vampire guests stepped onto his ship.

Tanganga was hesitant. While he was sure that this was definitely not a betrayal, he was secretly gloating about the misfortune and adding fuel to the fire. On the one hand, he felt that such a trivial matter should not threaten Kongming Palace, but on the other hand, he secretly hoped that this would give the big shots some deserved lessons and suffering. ; He was tossing and turning in panic after the incident, trying his best to distance himself from the relationship, but at the same time he couldn't help but take advantage of the disaster to make a fortune...

"Zhan is right. He has grasped the most fundamental chain of interests, so he is sure that Tanganga will not dare, let alone be unable to betray him."

Thales was lost in thought and seemed to see thin lines extending from the back of the portrait of the first Duke of Leinster, covering Kongming Palace, the Emerald City and even the South Bank Territory:

"But he's not entirely right: Tanganga falters between black and white loyalty and betrayal, eventually heading for an uncontrollable third path."

In the field of vision, every thin line extending from the frame is gently vibrating with different postures, amplitudes and frequencies, either pushing or pulling, large or small, rapid or slow.

Huaiya thought for a while:

"But by doing so, he still caused the Duke of South Bank to lose power, which is almost the same as betrayal."

"This is the interesting part," Thales raised the corners of his mouth and looked at each other at a distance of seven hundred years with the first-generation Leinster Kevin Dill in the picture frame who was also smiling half-heartedly. "If If Tanganga really made up his mind to betray Zhan from the beginning, the development of the situation, the situation we faced, and even the final result would have been completely different."

He shook his head and sighed:

"I'm afraid I won't have the chance to 'cooperate' with him like I do now."

"So, there is a big gap between Tanganga's behavior and true betrayal," Wya reacted, "Just like there is a big gap between this and pure loyalty."

Thales nodded and sighed:

"People do not always make choices clearly, clearly, rationally, proactively, and consciously. More often than not, they often make choices forcefully, unintentionally, insensitively, and with hindsight. , You may be firm at the moment, but you may regret it later, making a vague choice.”

"Like Tanganga," Huaiya nodded, "and the countless officials, businessmen, workers, peasants, and citizens in the Emerald City from top to bottom in this storm?"

Thales looked at Huaiya, slightly surprised:

"Exactly."

He sat upright.

"History may not be made by heroes, especially those heroes who are determined, great, courageous and clear-purpose in our impressions, but by countless bystanders like Tanganga, who are numb, lazy but ready to make a move. Lifted up by the torrent of their unconscious concerted efforts."

Thales sighed in ecstasy:

"So in the Sunset Teachings, the prophet Mohasa would say: 'That's not just history, it's destiny.'"

Everyone is struggling, but few realize that from beginning to end, it is just them who are in a cocoon.

Huaiya looked at the prince like this worriedly:

"Your Highness, are you okay?"

"What? Oh, of course," Thales came back to his senses, "Okay, let me invite the next guest..."

Huaiya nodded doubtfully, his eyes passing over the bruises on the prince's face.

Then the door was opened again.

"Hasha! Dear Hasha! My dearest Ambassador Hasha!"

"Your Highness! Your noble Highness! My most respected Highness, Prince Thales!"

The special envoy from the Tyran trading state on the other side of the sea of ​​​​end, Lord Harsha laughed and opened his hands covered with gemstones. He hugged Thales, who was also laughing until his face was deformed, and expressed his goodwill, as if from the first time. They felt like brothers from the beginning of the day - even though this was their first time meeting alone.

"The sun is shining brightly. Your Highness has never been so warm to me since he came to the Emerald City." Hasha's common language has the characteristic accent of Barren Mountain and other places, but it is not strong. I can see that his smile does not diminish, and his movements are enthusiastic. He turned a blind eye to the injury on Thales's face, and cleverly avoided the injury during the face-to-cheek ceremony, "This really makes me panic!"

"Witness the setting sun, the fear is due to the unknown." Thales wiped the powder on his face, linked his arms, and urged the huge Hasha to sit down first, "But you are so good at predicting things, why? Maybe scared?”

"Oh? What do you say?"

Thales smiled mysteriously after sitting down:

"I heard that after you came to Emerald City, you united with more than a dozen business group representatives, dignitaries from various countries, and special envoys from friendly countries - the kind that are huge and have branches in Emerald City - to set up a temporary Business alliance?”

Hasha's pair of artificial eyebrows painted in four colors of white, yellow, red and black - to show awe and respect for the four holy states of the Sun, the Majesty of the Sun - are solemn, compassionate, sullen and chaotic - raised upwards.

"Who are you listening to? Oh, ha, ha, ha. It's just a small gathering. They are all friends we have just played with each other... At most, it is used to bargain with Duke Zhan and negotiate on import tariffs." Harsha said. He smiled and waved his hands in a natural manner.

Thales narrowed his eyes:

"Isn't it because you are so good at predicting events that you have already determined that something big will happen in Emerald City?"

"Well, that's right - where can there be anything bigger in the Emerald City than your visit in person?"

Thales and Harsha looked at each other and laughed at the same time. One of them lamented that his opponent was difficult to deal with, and the other secretly wondered which kid had revealed the news.

"There are really bigger ones than me," Tailspi smiled. "For example, when the Kongming Palace changed hands and people were unstable and the market was depressed, the alliance you formed joined forces to hoard and drive up prices. , destroying industry rules, creating panic about shortages, squeezing out local businesses, scaring off new and old customers upstream and downstream, taking advantage of bargain hunting when the market is in a mess, and pushing the already declining Emerald City into the abyss? "

The smile in Harsha's eyes disappeared.

"Ah, I do know why you invited me here."

Thales also stopped smiling:

"You, Ambassador Khasha, and your 'little party' involving all walks of life abroad are not here to negotiate tariffs in the Emerald City."

"In fact, we came to the Emerald City to discuss tariffs and trade policies," Harsha said calmly, "It's just that this time, the negotiation conditions are a bit...well, special."

"Is this Zhan's request?"

"Why do you ask even though you know it?"

Thales sighed:

"If the Emerald City dies like this, what's the use of negotiating good tariff conditions?"

“Markets don’t die,” Harsha shook his head. “They just decline.”

And people who are smart enough, have enough capital, and have strong enough connections can also make profits in a declining market.

The profit is even greater than a good year.

Thales was silent for a while.

"Now that I've made it clear, can I ask you not to stand up for Zhan anymore?"

"sorry?"

"I said, please activate your connections in that small foreign business alliance, please do not ask them to operate at a loss or even benefit the people, but only ask them to act normally, do business well, and stop using panic propaganda to denigrate the environment. Don’t control transactions and control the market, let the volume and prices of goods in the major shops in Emerald City return to normal, and bring this declining city back to life? "

Ambassador Hasha pondered for a while.

"That circle is full of smart people who are sure to make a profit without losing anything, Your Highness," he said slowly, "They do this because it is profitable, and once it involves profit, if they are not happy, I will also..."

"Then let them be happy," Thales interrupted him decisively, "just like you, as the leader, instigate them to be unhappy."

Bearing Thales' aggressive gaze, Hasha frowned slightly.

"The sun is shining brightly. If I and my friends are willing to cooperate, what good will we gain?"

"benefit?"

Thales hummed strangely and showed the bruises on the side of his face:

"Did you see it? Zhan En beat him up this morning, and it's probably spread by now... What do you think?"

Hasha narrowed his eyes and actually looked at it carefully for a while.

"It's very forceful, very sudden, but unprofessional, more like the product of impulse," Harsha muttered, "Based on my understanding of my old friend Zhan En, he is very well-behaved and has never been so out of his mind, let alone taking action directly. "

Harsha looked at him suspiciously, almost writing "What on earth did you do to him" written on his face.

Thales had to cough and bring the topic back with a straight face.

"Now that you've seen it, your special envoy, what you should ask is: What harm will happen if you continue to side with Zhan and disrupt 'my' Emerald City?"

Looking at Duke Xinghu like this, Hasha frowned slightly.

"All right."

He thought for a while and sighed:

"I promise, Your Highness Thales, we will not add fuel to the flames to prevent you from taking control of the Emerald City, as Duke Zhane—no matter how favorable the tariff policy he promised—expects."

"Very grateful."

"But we can't stand on your side."

"What do you mean?" Thales frowned this time.

Hasha smiled and said:

"I am saying that we will remain neutral for the time being until the winner is decided. Whether Master Zhan or Master Federico comes to power, or even you personally take over the Kongming Palace - by the way, neither of these will affect your kingdom. The identity of the heir, and our respect for you - I promise that everything will return to normal, and we are happy to continue our sincere cooperation with the Emerald City..."

Thales was silent.

He looked up at the portrait of Deadly Iris and took a deep breath.

"not enough."

Harsha raised his eyebrows.

Thales turned around and said in a cold tone:

"In a war where strong and weak are clearly divided, if you remain neutral, it is tantamount to siding with the stronger."

"What's the meaning?"

"It means that if you don't stand with me," Thales leaned forward on his elbows with a cold expression, "you will stand with them."

Harsha couldn't help but frown when he looked at the prince like this.

"Well, you and Lord Zhan are really different."

"Why is it different?"

"In business," Hasha said naturally, "Business matters must be settled with real money."

Does he still want benefits?

Thales felt unhappy.

"You are the trade envoy of the state leader, Your Excellency Harsha," the prince said with a serious face. "Isn't it that you and your position exist because there are some big businesses that cannot be solved with real money?"

"And you are the prince of a kingdom and will inherit the throne in the future. You should take a longer-term view."

"for example?"

"Money, wealth, merchandise, even the position of city lord is nothing more than a low-class thing to you," Hasha smiled, as if someone who had experienced it taught the prince a lesson, "You are too focused on these things, personally The outcome will not be conducive to your reputation and reputation in the eyes of people, whether at home or abroad, which is the foundation of your future rule and your real interests. "

"Your Highness, you might as well look north - is there anyone still willing to believe the words of the Parricide King and make a deal with Black Sand City?"

Thales didn't answer immediately. He lowered his head and was silent for a while.

"Then look at my face again, Ambassador Hasha. Coupled with the time I was humiliated by his sister, as a prince, I have long been disgraced and my reputation has been lost." Thales raised his head and said coldly He said, "Fame? Reputation? What do you think I can lose in the Emerald City?"

Looking at Thales' face, Hasha stopped smiling.

He didn't say anything, just pursed his lips.

The two of them faced each other quietly in the study, both expressionless.

But just when the atmosphere became increasingly unbearable, Thales turned his head and sighed.

"Okay, I don't want to appear too aggressive. Let's do this. Did you see the owner of Tanganga who just went out?"

Hasha was stunned and couldn't help but look at the door.

"Yeah, well, he doesn't look...happy?"

"More than that," Thales sneered and leaned back in his chair, "It should be said that he is very tough, unyielding and unyielding. He threatened that he would rather live and die with Zhan En than compromise with me. He even secretly stayed in the open sea. Supporting pirate activities, constantly disrupting shipping routes, deterring ships, and causing trouble for the order of the Emerald City. "

Harsha was thoughtful when he heard the news.

"Captain Tanganga is, after all, the son of a girl, a man of the sea, and a man who licks blood from his sword. It is inevitable that sometimes..."

"Your Majesty the Special Envoy, let's make a bet."

Hasha's eyes moved.

I saw Thales raising a finger: "If within one day, Tanganga, the thorn in the side, surrenders to me, curbs his edge, and allows the Emerald City's sea trade to return to normal..."

He observed the other person's expression and paused.

"Then, your special envoy, you might as well do me this 'little favor' and urge your 'little' foreign business alliance to stop joining forces to stock up on goods and raise prices, resume normal operations, and even contribute some blood if necessary to help maintain market order. The recovery..."

Ambassador Hasha's eyes moved:

“And what if the Tanganga captain’s neck is too thick and his knees are too stiff and he refuses to give in?”

Thales' eyes turned cold:

"Then there will be no more him in this world."

Ambassador Hashat changed his face slightly. He ignored the demands for conditions and quickly asked:

"You want to kill him? Kill Tanganga?"

"Since the kingdom has explicitly banned piracy," Thales shook his head, looking indifferent, "then we must set an example."

Harsha furrowed his hand-painted eyebrows.

"That wouldn't be a good example."

"How to say?"

The envoy pondered for a while, then left the back of the chair worriedly and stood up.

"As a foreign minister, I cannot say much, but His Highness Thales, Tanganga comes from a maritime family..."

"You mean pirates."

"...Having been operating overseas for generations, I have rich experience and know many famous captains..."

"Yes, he has relied on Zhan for more than ten years," Thales said absently, "and has long since become the watchdog of Kongming Palace."

"But the current owner of Kongming Palace is you."

"It won't be the case soon," Thales sneered. "Thanks to him, you, and the many forces in this city, including a certain eldest lady who likes to pretend to be evil and steal food from the tiger's mouth, I am in this position. The days are like years, like sitting on pins and needles.”

Listening to the other party's tone, Hasha suddenly had a bad premonition.

"I understand that Your Highness is not going smoothly in power, but in a place like the Emerald City, it is definitely not wise to impose severe punishments."

His expression was solemn and he spoke earnestly:

"If you take Tanganga's life, then the fleet and shipowners who have served the Emerald City for many years - many of them are former Kasai pirates - will not only not obey your rule, but will die in sorrow. Indignation has unpredictable consequences.”

Thales shrugged: "Yeah."

"Once Tanganga is forced to rebel in anger and return to the ranks of pirates with ships loyal to him, then the sea will be unstable, all the countries along the way will be affected, and the Emerald City and even the Star Kingdom will lose more than they gain—"

"Just him? Humph."

Thales sneered, waved his sleeves, and swept several picture frames off the table to the ground.

Hasha was stunned at first. He picked up one of the palm-sized picture frames and took a closer look. He realized that there were various small portraits of ladies painted on it.

This is nothing, but the key is that the family emblem on the painting is more conspicuous and special.

"Xi Ri Wan You, this emblem is...the Sun Sword and Shield?"

Hasha looked at the small statue in his hand, his face was livid, his smile was cold, as if he had seen some monster.

"Yes, there are more than a dozen granddaughters and granddaughters of Prime Minister Cullen," Thales lazily held up one of the pictures. The girl on it was wearing gorgeous clothes and beautiful decorations, bright and noble. "You know him, right?"

"certainly."

Hasha's expression was solemn.

"Bob Cullen, Lord of Huigang City, your country's current Guardian Duke of the East China Sea, Sword of the Bay," the special envoy of the state looked at the family crest on the painting with a numb expression, "When he was young, he sacrificed his blood and sailed to suppress the Kasai pirates. …”

Who doesn’t know this, who often travels across oceans and travels to both sides of the sea?

"Yes, yes, that's the one," Thales scratched his ears, "Once I can't handle the Emerald City and marry the beautiful and noble Miss Hilley, well, I will have no choice but to go to Huigang to pick a wife."

Ambassador Hashat's expression changed slightly.

"Oh? Oh, the marriage between the Bright Star royal family and the Cullen family is very good, very good," Harsha said hesitantly, "But these candidates are all the grandchildren of Duke Cullen, and they don't seem to be as good as Miss Hilley... "

"Their dowries don't have Kevin Dildo, but the types are better, such as the Cullen family's Sun Fleet." Thales narrowed his eyes, "I will definitely not listen to everything, but I will help the good son-in-law of the family. , to destroy an arrogant and lawless pirate ship group..."

Hasha frowned fiercely.

Thales raised his hands and leaned back:

"So, Tanganga had better be sensible and don't forget what happened to his grandfather..."

"He won't forget it," Harsha stared at the emblem of the Sun Sword and Shield, his eyebrows furrowing more and more, "And that's exactly the problem."

"oh?"

Hasha put down the picture frame, his eyes serious.

What the young Bob Cullen did was more than just slaying the Kasai pirates.

In the complex political turmoil on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, more and more forces were involved in the disputes over the interests of the East China Sea and the Kasai Islands. This eventually led to the signing of an alliance between the East and West continents, the navies of six countries, and the eight fleets. Countless pirates, who were rampant for a while, started an all-out war.

They killed every inch of the sea that was navigable, every port that they could anchor at, and even every mast that they could set foot on, until the water was stained with blood, and they fought to the death.

This went on for decades, countless ships sank to the bottom of the sea, countless sailors died in the belly of fish, and the five pirate kings on the seven seas were finally wiped out one by one. Three people died, one was missing, and one was captured.

One of them was none other than the grandfather of "Sea Wolf" Tanganga - the "King of Skeleton Flags" who once shocked the seven seas. He raised his lone sail and made a desperate attempt to sneak attack on Glorious Bay. He was finally defeated and defeated on Glorious Bay. captured.

It is said that he and the last of his men were not allowed to die immediately, but were tied to the ram of the Cullen family's "Erol Grace" flagship and patrolled the coast to praise their achievements.

Exposed to the sun and rain, blown by wind and waves, gulls pecked and birds squawked.

Until each corpse has dried and shrunk, turning into a veritable "skeleton flag."

Since then, the girl has lost her son and the pirate has lost her father.

A pack of wolves in the seven seas, without a master or a king.

The bone flag is gone, and the sun shines on the sea.

Of course, at the same time, countless clans on the Kasai Islands who had been plundering for generations were also affected. The surviving clansmen - such as Tanganga's mother - had to find another way out.

"Your Excellency, Lord Xiri, no matter how fierce the commotion here is and how miserable the people are, it is just a turmoil in a corner of the Emerald City. But if the blood feud between the Cullen family, the Kasai people and even the pirates of the Seven Seas are involved, then things will be complicated. And it’s definitely not just a family matter, the area around the Sea of ​​Ending might be..."

Hasha sighed as he spoke:

"Peace is precious..."

Thales frowned slightly when he heard this, but in the end he snorted coldly and didn't care:

"So now, whether it's my marriage or peace at the end of the sea, oh, and of course the bet with you, it all depends on Tanganga not bowing his head? Ha, it's getting more and more interesting."

Seeing his indifferent attitude, Hasha's expression became even more ugly.

"Your Highness, please think twice about relying on the Cullen family to force Tanganga... You may be happy for a moment, but you may cause endless trouble... Also, if there is chaos in the End Sea, what will happen to the Emerald City?"

Thales snorted coldly.

"Then look at my face again, Your Majesty the Envoy."

He turned his head again, showing bruises, and said in an angry and vicious tone:

"Unfortunately, because the Kevin Deere brothers and sisters did something wrong, the Emerald City has caused endless disasters."

Seeing the unprecedented cruelty on the prince's face, Hasha was speechless.

This time, the silence in the study lasted especially long.

One party was angry and cold-eyed, with a clear attitude.

One party is worried and has many things on his mind.

In the end, Hasha seemed to have made up his mind and sighed helplessly: "That's it, let me convince him."

Thales' expression changed:

"What?"

Ambassador Hasha shook his head:

"Tailan State is also a country of maritime trade and an important customer of major shipping groups. I will try to persuade the owner of Tanganga to cooperate with you to stop pirate attacks and stop the non-commercial activities of major shipping groups. "

"I don't understand." Thales narrowed his eyes.

"I know that Your Highness, you have encountered obstacles in your governance and have been humiliated one after another. At this moment, you are burning with anger and cannot be calmed down except by thunderous means."

Hasha looked tired:

"But there is a proverb in this country: for the king to be benevolent, for the general to be stable, for the businessman to be determined, for the official to be patient. Even if you can finally control the Emerald City, you should keep Tanganga and other opponents at this time. Their lives."

"Oh? I thought you didn't like the Emerald City because you had been protesting the tariffs with Zhan before?"

"On both sides of the Taiwan Strait, cooperation is always better than confrontation."

Thales stared at him suspiciously for a while, then raised his head.

"Let's say this works, but how are you going to convince that bad-tempered pirate? Lick his balls?"

Hasha took a deep breath and ignored the vulgar words of the prince:

"I will tell the owner of the Tanganga ship: The Terran State and our allies have decided to put aside their prejudices and cooperate with His Highness. We will open the cargo hold and shipping at a loss, promote market order, and work hard to stop chaos and restore order in the Emerald City. ——I think he will understand the general trend. ”

Thales was stunned for a while before he realized:

"Are you trying to... I thought you just said you wanted to remain neutral?"

Hasha showed an ugly smile:

"I just figured it out: In a war where strong and weak are clearly divided, standing idly by and remaining neutral is tantamount to siding with the stronger."

Thales raised his eyebrows.

Hasha smiled and had a gentle and natural expression:

"Now, Your Highness, what do you say?"

Thales was stunned for a while, and finally came to his senses. He also put on a smile:

"Oh, in fact, I was enlightened by the words of Your Excellency the Special Envoy: You are right: I should not marry the granddaughter of the Cullen family unless it is absolutely necessary - the power of the Prime Minister is already strong enough."

"Your Highness is wise."

"Your Excellency is also wise."

"But I am humble and humble. It is not easy to convince so many big businessmen to cooperate." Hasha rubbed his four-colored eyebrows. "If you can promise that when things are done, the Emerald City will be the best in several major categories of goods." The tariff policy has been slightly relaxed..."

"talk later."

Thales refused with a smile, lowered his head and pretended to start working on the official documents.

"As tough as you are, you are worthy of being the future king." Hasha couldn't help but sigh.

"Excessive praise."

"I believe you will be able to succeed immediately and capture the Emerald City."

"Thank you very much."

"Maybe Tanganga will surrender on his own before I can come to persuade him?"

"Thank you for your good words."

"Because he surrendered to you a long time ago, right?"

"It's...what?"

Thales was startled and couldn't help but raise his head, just in time to see Hasha's expression change, now staring at him confidently.

Not good.

The prince used his face skills and calmly rounded out the words:

"Oh, ha, I thought so, but it's a pity that this stinky pirate doesn't know how to appreciate..."

"And you, from just now to now, you have just been trying to deceive me: using the incident between Tanganga and the Cullen family as a reason, deliberately creating a picture that if you don't get what you want, we will both die, and killing Tanganga will lead to To end the chaos in the sea, you can force me to submit and compromise with you, right?"

Hasha came and spoke eloquently, clicking his tongue.

Thoroughly dismantled Thales' little abacus.

Thales controlled his expression with all his strength and tried hard to explain:

"What? No, actually..."

"I just talked to him outside," Harsha said softly, but with a fatal blow, "I have to say that Tanganga is not a person who is good at hiding."

Thales' smile disappeared.

What?

he……

Ambassador Hashat calmly raised his tea cup and took the first sip of tea during today’s meeting:

"It's not difficult to find out about Tanganga's past, but how can you be so sure that this trick will work for me?"

Looking at the other party's eye movements, Thales finally confirmed something and had to sigh.

"Because you are the chief trade envoy of the Tyran State," he said helplessly, "your status and the weight of your words rely on peace and stability, not chaos."

Thales said dejectedly:

"If I overturn the chessboard in anger and disrupt the situation of the coastal states, then it will no longer be easy for you to speak in the Tyran State, let alone the election for the next head of the state - the three people in the Tyran State who control the fleet and city defense. Sir, two of them are your political enemies, and chaos will only benefit them."

Ambassador Hashat's eyes moved slightly.

"After all, the current head of Supanat took advantage of the end of the successive attacks by the Cullen family and their allies against the pirates of the Seven Seas, and the volume of sea trade returned to normal, so he persuaded the major families with the support of the Sun Temple. , canvassing for votes.”

Harsha gently put down the tea cup.

"Your Highness knows the affairs of the country very well, and some of them are even secrets. Well, the intelligence collection is very complete."

It should be said that the public clues in Kongming Palace are very complete.

but……

Thales sighed helplessly:

"Since you, the special envoy, have seen through it a long time ago, are you still cooperating with me in this show?"

Harsha smiled.

He took his time and waved his hand first:

"If I hadn't agreed to help you just now, would you really have been so angry that you would have attracted the East China Sea Fleet and the pirates of the Seven Seas, and caused chaos in the End Sea?"

Thales stared at him for a while and sighed:

"Won't."

"oh?"

Harsha shrugged:

"Even if Lord Zhan beats you to pieces, and his sister humiliates you in front of the whole city, making you lose face, become furious, and about to lose the Emerald City?"

Thales got a headache when he heard this.

He took a deep breath.

"First of all, I'm not disfigured. Secondly, my face is big and it's not that easy to lose..."

But Thales looked at Harsha's smiling and joyful expression, and finally became discouraged and gave up his defense:

"All right.

“First of all, moving pieces at the cost of overturning the chessboard is not my style.

"Secondly, going to war without permission is the stupidest thing, especially when you don't know what it will bring to you.

"Sanlai, the marriage with Cullen and so on, well, I made it up. As for these, these are cheap illustrations on the second-hand market. Even the family emblem of the Sun Sword and Shield was painted on the job..."

Thales waved a portrait of a lady casually.

"You can see it, the flaws are not small."

Hasha also picked up a picture frame, his eyes were complicated, showing both nostalgia and hatred:

"A long time ago, my mother, and of course me, we made a living copying cheap illustrations for people in the old market."

Thales looked at the special envoy and suddenly realized that this time, the other party did not humbly address him as "my lord."

The special envoy of Tyron State sighed softly. He put down the illustration and slowly took off the two gemstone rings on his right hand. Only then did Thales realize that they were not just rings, but decorations connecting two righteous fingers. Sex finger cot.

On Hasha's right hand, only half of the thumb and index finger are left.

Almost empty.

Thales was stunned. He thought of the extravagant scenes in these days where Hasha would reach out for his shirt, open his mouth for food, and even let servants serve food and drink on various occasions, and he suddenly understood.

He turned his head, suppressing his curiosity to ask the other person "what happened?" and forcing himself not to look at the other person's meaning finger.

Hasha looked at the place where he lost his finger, his expression calm and unwavering.

It seemed they didn't bother him any more than the cheap illustration.

etc.

Thales suddenly realized something was wrong.

what did he say?

Harsha used to copy illustrations...he understands this...

That means……

Thales reacted and looked at the other party in disbelief:

"It's you. Did you just deceive me?"

Hasha slowly replaced his righteous finger, returned to his luxurious and noble look, and smiled slightly.

"Why, do you really think I got the words from Tanganga? Please! Your guards are all fierce and ruthless, and they won't let me get close to him at all - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, please continue. ”

What?

Thales stared at the special envoy for a long time, until he humbly apologized, and then he hummed angrily:

"I'm done."

I was still angry before I finished speaking.

Hasha chuckled and confessed repeatedly.

"I can tell, Your Highness, you are indeed a different person from Jann Kelvindir, at least not as shrewd, wise, clever and admirable as him."

Thales' expression changed:

Are you scolding me?

Hasha shook his head regretfully, as if he hated iron and said:

"No wonder you are sitting on the throne, but you are still in jail, and you are in a miserable state. You are living in a state of poverty and sorrow."

Okay, you did scold me.

Thales frowned and wanted to defend himself by saying something like "Actually, I'm not bad at all" or "I have the advantage in this battle", but in the end he was speechless and had no words to refute.

The next second, after hearing enough jokes, Hasha rubbed his hands with satisfaction and stood up.

"In that case, I will go back first. Good luck to you, Your Highness."

Thales sighed.

Seeing Hasha walking further and further away, he couldn't help but say:

"But at least-"

Hasha paused in his steps.

Thales took a deep breath and could only say helplessly:

"I know it's a bit late now... But Your Excellency, Special Envoy, could you please be at least impartial and neutral as you said before?"

Hasha frowned and turned back.

Thales gritted his teeth:

"Please, I only need a few weeks, no, a few days to save the Emerald City. If it doesn't work..."

"neutral?"

Harsha interrupted him with a chuckle.

"Your Highness, I know Jann Kevin Deal, he will never be a loser."

He squinted his eyes, raised his finger - the meaning finger - and shook it, as if he heard something funny:

"And you, Prince Thales, at least for now, are bound to lose."

Thales sighed in disappointment.

hateful.

He could have lured the other party to take the bait.

Why does the problem come from a cheap illustration?

It's even stupider than when the Fallen Star found that invitation.

"therefore!"

The next second, Ambassador Hasha suddenly looked solemn!

I saw him staring at Thales:

"Terlen State and our allies, we have decided to give up speculating and take advantage of the situation."

Thales raised his head and glared: Huh?

“In fact, we will do our best to calm the market for you, quell rumors, open up trade, restore people’s confidence in the City of Queens, and even extend a considerable debt to help the Emerald City return to normalcy. "

ah?

Thales didn't react for a moment and was stunned.

Hasha bowed slightly and smiled when he raised his head:

"I hope I can regain some advantage for you in this unfair duel."

The study was quiet for a long time.

Until Thales came back to his senses:

"Wha, what?"

I saw Hasha shaking his head:

"There are no other strings attached, Your Highness, even the tariffs they are clamoring about - facing those short-sighted villains, I still have the final say on this matter."

Thales finally understood what the other party said word for word and looked at him doubtfully.

Hasha didn’t say much, just nodded lightly:

"As for the rest, it's up to you."

After saying this, His Excellency the Special Envoy turned and left.

Steady pace.

The sleeves are windy.

Huge in size.

But not sloppy at all.

Thales was left alone, sitting behind the desk, amazed.

"Your Excellency, wait!"

Thales didn't understand it. The moment Harsha was about to walk out of the room, he couldn't help but call him:

"Mind telling me why?"

Hasha turned around, still smiling.

"Why?"

He thought for a while, and then his eyes lit up:

"I told you."

Thales looked puzzled.

"Lord Zhan is a shrewd and capable leader."

Hasha spoke slowly and gently rubbed his ring:

"The Emerald City is prospering under his hands, but the premise is that his position of authority is not threatened, otherwise he will sacrifice the Emerald City without hesitation - just like he prepared in advance, asking us to cause trouble for the Emerald City, in order to force Goes like its new owner.”

His eyes changed and he looked directly at Thales.

At that moment, Thales suddenly had the illusion that the person in front of him was not an errand messenger from a neutral trading country.

Rather, he is a general who has commanded troops and horses in hundreds of battles.

"But you are the prince of a kingdom and will inherit the throne in the future. You should take a longer-term view," Hasha repeated what he just said word by word. "Fame and reputation are the foundation of your future rule and your real interests." "

Thales' breath was stagnant.

"But Zhan's reputation and reputation are also very good." He said subconsciously.

"It's very good," Hasha nodded without hesitation, but his eyes were firm, "among those who don't know him."

Thales' eyes moved.

"Xiri teaches: Without the Sacred Heart, it is difficult to perform holy miracles."

Harsha made an exaggerated prayer. After finishing it, his expression instantly returned to the polite and hypocritical look of a diplomat before:

"Now, I have to rush to convene a 'little party'. Please excuse me..."

"Your Excellency Hasha."

Thales spoke instinctively.

He wanted to say thank you, but he felt it was inappropriate. When the words came to his lips, they eventually turned into another sentence:

"This idea of ​​creating a dangerous situation and forcing you to submit was based on reports from the masses - I mean, from Zhan's questioning."

Thales said quietly.

Harsha frowned upon hearing this.

Thales looked at each other with complicated emotions:

"But now it seems that Zhan underestimated you."

Hasha hummed, lowered his head and fell into deep thought, with an intriguing expression.

A few seconds later.

"No, in fact," the special envoy raised his head and smiled with relief, "he overestimated me."

"Like I have for a long time, I overestimated him."

Ambassador Hashat from Tyrone State stroked his four-colored eyebrows, shook his huge body, smiled unabated, and stepped out of the study with ease.