“Unbelievable. ”

Gilbert's voice sounded as the carriage moved forward, with some fluctuations.

Thales, who was sitting opposite him, leaned against the wall of the compartment and looked at his teacher, whom he had been separated from for six years, with the same mixed emotions.

"I still remember, little sir, when we parted six years ago, you were just a child..."

Apart from his slightly excited breathing, the other party's posture and etiquette were still decent and elegant, as if they were carved out of a noble mold.

Thales shrugged and smiled

"Maybe more than just kids."

"Of course," Gilbert smiled knowingly

"Of course you are more than just a child."

"However, look at you now," Gilbert stared at him closely, with relief and emotion, unable to stop looking up and down.

"You've grown up."

His voice rises and falls

"At the age of fourteen, according to the standards of the imperial era, you are already a real adult. You can fight with a sword, marry a wife and have children..."

Fourteen years old, fighting, marrying, and having children?

Thales scratched his head

"Well, regarding this, as times change and society progresses, I believe we need to discuss it..."

Looking at him, Gilbert smiled heartily.

The wheels rolled and the two were silent for a while.

Until Gilbert sighed

"So, it's been six years, your highness, how is everything going? How is the north?"

Is everything okay?

How about the north?

Thales imagined many scenarios of reuniting with old friends.

He also imagined how he would add fuel to the fire with them, complaining eloquently about the poor food in the North, the freezing temperature in the Palace of Heroes, the stupid little slicker, the annoying Jinx lady, the stupid Meteor, the cunning Lisban, damn it

The rumba, the gluttonous Ada, the bored eyes of the two attendants quarreling...

He even thought about pouring out all the pain, dissatisfaction and complaints in one go: the strange looks in the eyes of the people in Exeter, the strange aura of the teachers in Beidi, the public and private revenge in the outdoor class, the constant surveillance, the unreasonable searches...

…

But when things come to a head, when the words come to your lips...

"Yeah," Thales put away his memories and smiled brightly.

"You know, the north."

The prince shrugged easily and smiled warmly and calmly.

"It's very...northern."

Gilbert did not answer immediately, but stared at him for a long time, focusing on the young man's sunny smile.

It was like reading something.

"Yes, Your Highness."

After a few seconds, Gilbert answered softly

"Northlanders, Yankees, I've negotiated with them, I know."

"I know."

Gilbert's eyes were calm and gentle, but for some reason, Thales felt like he was under a heavy burden and couldn't bear it.

The carriage became quiet again, and for a moment the only sound was the sound of the horse's hooves outside the carriage.

Thales took another deep breath

"What about you, Gilbert? And Eternal Star City and Star Kingdom? In the past six years?"

After hearing this, Gilbert paused and slowly held the cane.

"Well, as I get older, my horse riding is not as smooth as before. There are more and more people riding in the carriage. Every day, the handwriting of the scribe and secretary is getting bigger and bigger."

Thales listened quietly and looked at Gilbert, who was six years older.

Six years ago, they were sitting in a carriage like this, walking on the way to Fuxing Palace.

Six years later…

Gilbert turned his head and smiled slightly

"Otherwise, same old."

"Working, living, breathing, and waiting..."

He paused for a second and looked into Thales's eyes

"...your return."

Thales froze.

For a moment, he was speechless and a little at a loss.

Gilbert's expression darkened

"I can't imagine how much you suffered at Exeter..."

He stared intently at his cane and used rare rude words.

"Damn Yankee, it was only supposed to be a few weeks, and then you would be back safely in our care, and I remember telling you that everything would be fine, but..."

Thales couldn't bear it

"Gilbert..."

Gilbert leaned on his cane, lowered his head and sighed.

"We have failed in our duties and have caused you to suffer..."

Thales shook his head at him.

But the Foreign Secretary continued, sounding guilty.

"From King Nun to the Disaster, and then to the Black Sand Territory, just reading about it in the letter is thrilling enough, but experiencing it all in person..."

Thales had to interrupt him loudly

"Gilbert!"

Gilbert was slightly shocked and then stopped.

The prince smiled

"Hey, I made it through."

Gilbert looked at him quietly, and then smiled after a few seconds.

"Yes," Xingchen's cunning fox showed his rare tiredness as a prince's teacher.

"You made it through."

"From the north...we made it through."

He nodded slowly, but was obviously absent-minded.

Thales suddenly noticed that Gilbert's energy and concentration were not as good as before.

Feeling the other party's emotional fluctuations, Thales, who was in a complicated mood, had to change the topic.

"So, what about them? Those who stayed in Longxiao City..."

"Putilai, Rolf, and that one...that, that...oh, Ada!"

"And...Waia?"

Hearing this name, Gilbert seemed to wake up suddenly.

"Oh, please don't worry about them, although they still need to stay in Longxiao City for a while..."

"But since the most important thing is that you have returned safely, there is no point in detaining your followers no matter whether it is Longxiao City or Black Sand Territory."

Thales breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

"Gilbert, make sure," the boy suddenly said after a few seconds.

"Make sure they, make sure your son comes back safe."

The prince raised his head and said seriously

"Without them, I wouldn't have been able to survive until now."
To be continued...