Realm of Power

Castle Rock's "Disclosure Festival" is filled with a festive atmosphere. For the people of Castle Rock who have just experienced a turmoil, holding a grand celebration that can also highlight the value of Castle Rock as an art capital can be held in the largest To some extent, reducing the adverse effects caused by surrendering to the Sunrise Chamber of Commerce is also extremely obvious for improving people's hearts. Coupled with various aspects of propaganda, the people of Castle Rock have now basically accepted the Medici family's statement.

Ordinary people are the most easily affected class. The same thing, interpreted from different angles, will produce two different results. The Medici family can use leniency policies to manage Fort Locke, and they are masters of manipulating public opinion. Not to mention, Prentas, the head of this generation, is known as the longest-lived Medici family head.

On the one hand, they vigorously promoted the so-called good character of the Medici family. On the other hand, they held a grand "Festival of Exposure" to quickly attract the public's attention. In addition, due to the huge benefits derived from "exclusiveness", not only did they not The rule of the Medici family was not affected, but became more stable than before. Who can do it now? To remember the humiliation suffered by the Medici family, on the contrary, everyone raised their glasses and rejoiced that no tough measures were taken against the Sunrise Chamber of Commerce. Otherwise, the imperial army currently grinding their swords on the border line of the Biangs would have been like a tidal wave. The result of swarming into Castle Rock and erasing Castle Rock that has been passed down for thousands of years from the map!

In front of the real reality, the people have always been short-sighted, and all they see is what is in front of them. It is best if they can avoid war, avoid killing people, feed the family, have clothes to wear, and even have some money as savings. The world has changed. If you don’t believe it, look at the Biang Kingdom, which is currently fully prepared for war. For the so-called face, the country is now simply miserable.

A large number of young and strong men were drawn into the army, leaving behind a group of old, weak, women and children who stared at the vast golden wheat fields swaying in the wind outside the farm. However, they could not find enough labor force and could only watch helplessly. Washed away by heavy rains and wet in the rainy season, production reduction is a certainty. The same is true in the prosperous urban areas. Businessmen have withdrawn their funds and fled, especially because they were separated from the business alliance system, major shops were closed and closed, and domestic prices soared several times. It can be said that the Biang people have used all the accumulated experience of the past ten years. , and barely managed to prevent domestic turmoil from breaking out due to this war.

If I hadn’t been so tough, now would be the most beautiful season in Melbourne Harbor with the most docked ships and the best season for dignitaries from all over the mainland to visit. You must know that there are two major festivals on the Barrow coastline in Central Europe. One is held by Castle Rock specifically for art exhibitions. ’s “Display” Festival is known as a grand ceremony in the capital of art.

The other one is the Colorful Clothes Festival in Port of Melbourne. Compared with the Exposed Festival of the Arts Festival, the Colorful Clothes Festival in Port of Melbourne is more able to attract dignitaries from all over the mainland. The so-called Colorful Clothes Festival means that the Biang royal family will come to Mexico in person. A seven-day grand banquet was held in Port Port. It was a commemorative festival held by the Biang royal family to commemorate the prosperity of the time when King Biang's power still ruled the entire central Europe.

Two hundred years ago, the Biang royal family, as the overlord of the party, invited young talents of sufficient status from all over the mainland to participate. With luck, it was common for them to be favored by Princess Biang. Even if they were not interested in the princess level, they could It's okay to be favored by the rich and powerful, but with the decline of the Kingdom of Biang, although the Colorful Clothes Festival is no longer as grand as before, it is not as attractive. Instead of rising, it has become a way for the Biang royal family to select talented people. For those young nobles who come from noble families but are destined to have no chance to inherit the family business in this life, they can have the opportunity to directly enter the royal family of Biang. In the eyes, as long as you are selected, not only will you have status and women, you will become famous overnight, and you may become one of the important ministers of the kingdom in a few years!

"Surrendering to the Sunrise Chamber of Commerce is not due to cowardice, but is exactly the fairness that the Medici family has upheld for many years." No matter who is treated equally, the Medici family has a fair heart, even if it is just an Imperial Chamber of Commerce. There is no despicable thought of relying on force to refuse to repay debts."

"The Most Just Medici"

This is the name that the people of Castle Rock now call Prentas, the head of the Medici family.

But at this moment, the head of the family felt a little unnatural. Everything was fine originally, and the emperor didn't seem so harsh. He deliberately proposed the painting of Master Ankolo to show his goodwill. But at that moment, the chill on the emperor's face made Prentas, who was good at observing words and expressions, feel a sinking feeling in his heart.

Is there really something wrong with that painting? Or does the emperor not want his portrait to be auctioned? If that is the case, I will be self-defeating this time. In fact, during the Confidence Festival, the Medici family specially increased the promotion of this painting, which was a disguised attempt to flatter the emperor. But now it seems , seems to have signs of being slapped on the horse's leg

Prentas looked at Princess Samari who was sitting opposite the emperor with pleading eyes, hoping that Princess Rilla would come to the rescue immediately. Since the emperor could take Princess Samari with him, the relationship between the two must be extraordinary. It is said that the emperor of the empire was as lustful as his soul. He was famous for his love of country and beauty. He once fell in love with a woman because of a woman. The people fought fiercely with the Gangfei Empire, which eventually even led to the demise of the Gangfei Empire. This time, King Oscent of Rilla put his two daughters into the emperor's carriage. You can imagine what the plan was for the two of them. A delicate and beautiful princess fell into the hands of the emperor. If nothing happened, she would be a liar.

But the strange thing is that under Prentas's gaze, Princess Samari's pretty face was filled with surprise.

Princess Samari came all the way, and this was the first time she saw the man in front of her in such a rude state. Even when she saw the extremely beautiful girls Weixi and herself sitting in the carriage, she just frowned slightly. Could it be that Does the painting really hide any secrets that cannot be revealed? Samaritan's thoughts were so distracted that he didn't even notice Prentas's eyes pleading for help.

"I'm sorry, I'm a little lost." The fat man seemed to feel the awkward atmosphere, and suddenly asked with a sneer, "Your Excellency Prentas, this Master Ankoluo who is famous throughout Central Europe is probably not a native of Castle Rock." People"

"Your Majesty is indeed right. When Master Ankolo was in Barrow, he was already the leading portrait master in Barrow, and he was also the chief painter of a certain royal family. Later, due to some special reasons, four months ago, After the painstaking pleading of my Medici family, Master Ancolo agreed to come and settle in our Castle Rock." Prentas replied with a respectful look, but did not dare to sit down. He didn't know why the emperor suddenly asked this question.

"The chief painter of a certain king's royal family?" The fat man touched his nose with his finger, his eyes flashed with a light, and he smiled flatly, "The certain royal family you are talking about cannot be the former overlord of Barrow in southern Europe, the Eero royal family, which has existed in name only, right?"

"It turns out that Your Majesty also knows the name of Master Ankoluo." Prentas looked stunned. Master Ankoluo is such a famous painter, and the whole Obaro knows it. Naturally, it is impossible to hide it, so he has nothing to do with it. Tell everything that was hidden. The death of Emperor Farouk VI of Eero directly led to the death of Eero. With the decline of the Luo royal family, several factions fought for the succession of the emperor. Under such circumstances, the chief painter Ancolo, who had no worries about food and clothing, also suffered from ups and downs and displacement. At this time, the wealthy Medici family Coming to visit, Master Ancolo finally chose to come to the Medici’s Castle Rock.

"I have no interest in Master Ankoluo. I just think that Master Prentas can develop Rock Castle to its current scale and extent. I don't know if I am dragged into the pit of fire." The fat man looked out the window with bright eyes. There are more and more pedestrians on the prosperous street, and the long string of lights has not been reduced at all because of the darkness of the night.

The timing of the appearance of this painting was so coincidental that it had to make him suspicious. The Biang people's sudden attack on the empire had already given him a premonition. After annexing half of the Harvey Kingdom, they suddenly moved northward and launched a massive attack directly on the imperial forces.

There seems to be no big connection between the two, but they happened to be stuck just when he was about to march south. If there was no connection, Fatty himself didn't believe it. It was obvious that someone had seen through his plan to go south. So we took a pre-emptive strike, but Bion, a mere Bion, must have underestimated the empire. The other party had bet on an army of 500,000 Martins. How could he not have a back-up plan?

It's just that Fatty didn't expect that he accidentally bumped into the opponent's extremely secret killing move.

"Your Majesty, is there something wrong with any of the paintings?" Prentas was such a smart man. He immediately reacted, breathing a little quickly, and asked in a low voice. According to his carefulness, it was impossible not to see which painting touched him. a certain part of the emperor,

"That painting should be unveiled in front of everyone at the auction. I don't know if I can meet this great painter of Ancolò in advance. I am also curious about how I was painted. "What?" The fat man's slightly narrowed eyes were filled with cold murderous intent. The opponent's killing move was quite clever, and it could be said that there was no trace at all.

"Of course. Master Ancolo will be placed at No. 9 in the southern district of the city. That's all the property of my Medici family." Prentas quickly said that he would send someone to prepare. "It doesn't have to be so troublesome. Let's just use the carriage we came with." The fat man stood up and raised his hand. The carriage that the fat man came in was at the door. Four or five people could sit in a quite spacious space without feeling crowded. Soon, the three of them left the restaurant and walked onto the carriage parked outside the door.

Prentas sat opposite the fat man and glanced at the emperor's face hesitantly, but his heart was in turmoil like a sea of ​​fire and a landslide. "In fact, I once asked Master Ankolo which scene in the painting was fictional." Yes, it's still real. Master Ankoluo just smiled and said, that's just a fictitious scene. Could it be...'

Obviously, Master Ankoluo lied. The background of this painting is real, and it may even depict something important. It is no wonder that the emperor said that he may have been used.

Thinking that he was so kind to Master Ankolo, and that the other party obviously wanted to use this painting to achieve some purpose, Prentas's face was also livid. Fortunately, luck was still on Castle Rock's side, and he actually let the emperor paint the portrait. Come in person before auction, otherwise, one Once something happens with this painting, the Medici family and Castle Rock will be unable to argue with each other. "Although I don't know what the deep hatred the other party has with the Medici family, but the other party does want to destroy the Medici family." Fatty sat down. On the carriage, looking outside coldly

"No way, our Medici family has always been gentle to the outside world, and we have never had any serious enemies of life and death!" Prentas's face turned a little pale, he did not expect it to be so serious. "Then there is only one possibility, the other party He wants to use the destruction of the Medici family to arouse the hatred of the other Barro countries in Central Europe against the empire. ""Your Majesty, can you tell me which painting is..."" Your Excellency Prentas guessed it right, this one The background of the painting is not fictional, but real! "

The fat man withdrew his gaze from outside the carriage and said slowly with a solemn expression, "It has already spread throughout the entire Rock Castle before it is displayed. Even Samari in Rila knows about this famous painting. You can imagine how many people will pay attention to it by then." With this famous painting, so tall The appearance was naturally intended to create a sensation, and the unique background impressed even people like Lord Prentas who just took a glance at it, let alone those who are quite familiar with this scenery." "Your Majesty is Talk about the castle on the cliff? "

Prentas was in a trance for a moment. If there is one thing that can be unforgettable, it must be the cliff castle. It has such a strange shape that it will leave an impression on anyone who takes a look at it.

The fat man raised his eyebrows slightly and curled his lips slightly. "Your Excellency Prentas is right, the other party's ingenuity lies in the old castle, and that background is naturally not a fake battlefield painted with exaggeration. That's the Lutia Fort in the north of Erro!" "Lutia Fort?" Prentas blinked. Is it because of this? It’s just a battle. The emperor is known as the undefeated military god of the mainland. What is painted in this painting is the heroic figure of the emperor on the battlefield. Naturally, a battle is the best background.

On the contrary, Samari next to her looked excited and murmured to herself, "Is Lutia Castle the place of glory of the rumored Valkyrie Potamia?" Speaking of which, I still admire His Highness the Pope. "Where is the leader?" "The place of glory of Valkyrie Potamia, Lutia Castle, the battle of Lutia Castle! Could it be..."

Prentas's body trembled violently, his eyes suddenly widened, and he looked straight at the emperor in shock. He felt that he could not breathe. The huge pressure made his feet weaken. His first My first reaction was to jump out of the car

He finally understood why the emperor was like this. Unlike Samari, who rarely went out, he was the master of Castle Rock. As a hub port on the Barro coastline in Central Europe, Castle Rock also had the most information exchanged, not to mention that as a party Lord, Castle Rock also has its own information network. I just thought it sounded familiar before, but now I feel that I shouldn’t come, let alone mention the ancient castle on the cliff.

It’s a trap, I’ve trapped myself into death this time! Prentas, who was on the verge of tears, was extremely regretful. If possible, he would slap himself in the face a dozen times, and he absolutely did not want to know about it. "Your Excellency Prentas seems to have understood it!" The fat man on the other side rolled his eyes helplessly. The character of the head of the Medici family is indeed a bit weak, but it is this character that allows Castle Rock to grow in the cracks of power. It's just that the fat man's eyes fell in Prentas's eyes. It's like pronouncing fate

"What happened to Uncle Prentas?" Samari's pretty face was confused. Didn't he mention Lucia Castle just now? Why did it suddenly become like this? "Your Majesty, can I pretend not to know about this matter?"

Prentas was crying, his face was the color of an extremely depressed eggplant, he was the meanest, what was wrong with him, Tirutiya Castle, the scene in this painting was not the same as that scene with four people. A few months ago, that was the final scene of the Battle of Lutia Castle that shocked the entire Obarro, involving hundreds of thousands of life-and-death battles, and finally the collapse of the mighty Southern Overlord Ero Empire!

The problem is that the two warring parties at that time were Putamia of the Order State and Farouk VI of the Ero Empire. In the end, the Potamia Formation beheaded the Eero Emperor Farouk VI and was defeated by the entire Europe. Barrow is known as the Valkyrie of the South, but in the painting "The Scythe of the God of War", the emperor who should be across the sea appears, and the name of the painting is called "The Scythe of the God of War"

The ones in front of the imperial army that were beaten to pieces were not Emperor Eero's Guards Corps.

What does this mean? Even a fool can guess that in that battle, like a sharp sickle, the formation beheaded the Emperor of the Ero Empire, Farouk VI, and buried the 300,000 soldiers of the Ero Empire with one hand. Not the Valkyrie Putamia, whose performance after this war has not been much outstanding, but the emperor of the mainland, the undefeated military god.

Such a painting, even if it is just a guess, is enough to shock people to the extreme! It’s enough for the Medici family to be buried with them. Who wants to harm themselves?

The carriage entered a fork in the corner at the front, and then drove from a busy street onto a road full of flower beds. The road began to become wider, and the ground was paved with cobblestones, which collided with the wheels and made the sound of servants. It was No. 9 in the south part of the city. The coat of arms of the Medici family was hung at the intersection of the road, indicating the private property status here. I saw an unidentified carriage approaching.

A Medici family attendant standing at the intersection came over, stopped the carriage, and said loudly, "Please stop the car. This is the Medici family's private driveway. If you don't have a pass, please take a detour." "No, I don't remember such a rule!" The fat man glanced at Prontas opposite him, but the other party was also stunned. The fat man's nose trembled slightly, and his eyes narrowed into a line. He smelled a familiar smell, that is the smell of human blood. There was a smell of human blood on the attendant. The fat man's eyes fell on the other hand that had been hanging down.