"It came very quickly." Kaslan sighed in the back kitchen of the Hero Tavern and carefully looked at the man and woman in front of him: "So you are the most outstanding seeds in the tower in recent years, and you are here to help.
people?"
Cohen Karabyan had long since taken off his vigilance officer uniform and put on a warm thick Northland leather robe, but his blond hair was still dazzling.
Miranda Allender was wearing snow boots and a dark half-body armor. Her shoulder-length black hair was tied into a ponytail and thrown behind her head. The flying eagle emblem on her black gloves disappeared without a trace.
It was the young lady from the Arlend family who came out.
After experiencing the rigorous training and trials in the Tower of Ending, they all know how to better disguise and hide themselves... Survival in the wild is always a required course for Terminator Swordsmen and Terminator Knights.
But their disguise seemed to have failed in front of the tavern old man.
"I don't understand," the white-haired old man Kaslan frowned tightly: "This is not a trial game... but Shao sent two young nobles here? My young master?"
Cohen's expression froze.
Where is the secret revealed?
He lowered his head and looked at his outfit.
"Don't look, I'm talking about you, silly boy," Kaslan said coldly to his junior: "Your stance and steps."
Cohen turned to Miranda in shock, who frowned and looked back at Cohen.
"I can smell the smell of a battlefield officer all over your body from six kilometers away." Kaslan shook his head: "Looking at the frightened look on your face, ready to jump up and bite at any time, you are like a rabbit just now.
He must have come back from the Western Wilderness Front."
Cohen looked at the old man in surprise.
How can it be?
I'm just being on guard.
Following Jedi's advice, he has obviously adjusted very well, and the symptoms of "battlefield withdrawal" are almost invisible.
Unless... Cohen looked at the old man solemnly: He was once his kind.
Animals that live on the battlefield.
And it's a very scary kind - Cohen thought of the cold eyes of some members of the death squads in the desert, and couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
Cohen looked at the old man in front of him and winked at Miranda. Unfortunately, his old manager ignored him. In desperation, Cohen had no choice but to smile and said: "Mr. Kaslan, Master Shao will pursue the cause of the disaster."
Leave the task of the sword to us..."
But his words were immediately interrupted rudely by Kaslan.
"And you, little girl, are dressed very professionally as a mercenary. You should be able to pass through a place like Allenbia without any hindrance." Kaslan ignored Cohen. He continued to look at Miranda and said in a stiff tone: "But you know,
There are not many mercenaries in the North. The people here are tough and aggressive. Many things can be handled by a man in the family with a sword. Mercenaries have no business here... Your dress will be very abrupt."
Miranda's expression changed.
"And your temperament... probably only a fool would not recognize that you are a noble, Miss Allender."
"But forget it," Kaslan sighed: "At least she is much better than many young nobles, the young lady of the Arlend family."
Hearing this, Miranda opened her mouth in surprise.
how come……
my identity.
How could he tell?
Obviously when I entered the border, I didn’t have any White Eagle logo left on me.
"I said," the old man sitting on the seat put his hands on his knees, his eyebrows raised, full of doubt: "Do you really know what kind of existence you are facing?"
"Two descendants of the duke and earl families, as well as people from Arlend," Kaslan said with a look of disgust on his face, "Young lady from a noble family..."
"You write a letter back immediately and ask Shao to send some more people... It's best to have an extreme master..."
Cohen frowned.
Oops.
The contact person doesn’t like us?
What to do?
At this moment, the lady of the Allende family suddenly took a step forward and stared at Kaslan angrily.
"Listen, old man," Miss Miranda Allender said with a bad look: "You do your job, and we do our job - this is the most ideal situation, as for our abilities..."
"We know what danger we are facing, and we are not some pampered young master or young lady," Miranda said with a serious look on her face, word by word: "Cohen is my contemporary, the awakener of the glory of the stars, I understand him."
"He has spent many years on the Western Wilderness front line. He knows everything about battles and wars. He is an outstanding soldier and officer. On the battlefield, his role will not be greater than that of some old bones who have not moved for decades.
It's worse than an extreme master." Miss Allende said calmly.
Cohen looked at Miranda in surprise, looking at his colleague who refused to give in at all.
God.
When was the last time she praised herself?
Does a woman's temper really get better after she falls out of love?
Kaslan looked at the little girl in front of him with an interesting expression.
An old bone that hasn’t been touched in decades?
interesting.
So energetic.
If I were thirty years younger...
"And I served under the Flower of the Fortress, leading the army of the stars, in the Cold Castle, the Old Tower, and the Watch City. I went back and forth on the border between the two countries countless times, and I also fought against the people of the Lombard family countless times," Milan
Da stared at Kaslan with sharp eyes: "I know how to fight, old man."
"We are not newbies with no experience."
"Of course, maybe judging from your old-fashioned ideas, only extreme masters like Teacher Shatil and Master Jedi can deal with such a situation."
"But, Mr. Kaslan, anyone can dislike our experience and ability just because we are young ladies from a noble family, but you are the only one who is not qualified to say that."
Kaslan narrowed his eyes.
"This is the first time I heard your name, Mr. Kaslan," Miranda slowly put the sword on her waist: "It's not because of your reputation as 'shaking the earth', but because of your last name, Kaslan.
Rumba.”
Kaslan raised an eyebrow.
Cohen was truly stunned.
"Yes, every member of the Allende family must know everything about the situation of the enemy's family." The female swordsman said calmly and slowly.
"So?" Kaslan narrowed his eyes again.
Miranda stared at Kaslan in front of her: "So, if you have any objections to the name Arunda because you are a member of the Lomba family, you can just say so."
Miranda narrowed her pupils and stared at every flaw in the old man's body. She clenched the hilt of the sword and said in a cold tone: "We use swords to resolve our differences, old man."
Kaslan looked at Miranda's sword and smiled disdainfully.
"Of course, or are you just provocative and want to see our strength for yourself?" Miranda said with deep meaning.
"If so, then let's start quickly, end it quickly, and then continue our mission, instead of talking nonsense here with a bad old man."
Kaslan looked at Miranda, his smile disappeared, and he returned with a deadpan expression.
Seeing the conflict that was about to break out in front of him, Cohen scratched his head anxiously: "Uh, um, Miranda...should we..."
At this moment.
"ha!"
Kaslan laughed angrily and interrupted Cohen again.
Kaslan slammed the table and stood up from his seat.
Even though he is already over sixty, his height of nearly seven feet, coupled with muscles that do not seem to have deteriorated, still looks very oppressive.
But Miranda's sharp eyes did not change. She just bent slightly and adjusted the angle of her attack.
"Okay, the testing ends here!" Kaslan suddenly laughed: "Interesting, little girl!"
"She looks like a little leopard when she's angry!"
Miranda gritted her teeth.
So far?
Little female leopard?
This old man...
"Little Croash is indeed right," Kaslan said with sharp eyes, showing his yellowed teeth, "Miranda has excellent observation skills, is resolute and decisive in situations, and does not delay. She is just too proud.
point."
Miranda was stunned.
Croash...
"Ah!" Cohen pounded his palms excitedly: "So uncle, you know Chloe... Then what did she say about me?"
"You..."
"Well, she said..." Kaslan didn't notice that Cohen's title changed from "Mr." to "Uncle." He recalled it, turned his head, and showed a strange expression: "Cohen Karabiyan is not a bad person.
But a slow fool, that's all."
Cohen was stunned for a moment, then rubbed his hair awkwardly and laughed.
I cried endlessly from the bottom of my heart.
My image...is it so bad?
Kaslan looked at Cohen and smiled.
"Boy..."
"Come on, boy!" Kaslan laughed and slapped Cohen on the shoulder.
Cohen's expression changed, but he gritted his teeth and kept his figure steady.
Seeing the latter's unwavering posture, Kaslan secretly applauded.
"You know," old man Kaslan said boldly, "my mother-in-law also called me a slow fool!"
Cohen was stunned for three seconds.
Mother-in-law?
so……
"That's enough," Miranda interrupted them with a frown: "Can we get down to business."
Cohen didn't think about Croash anymore. He shrugged helplessly and signaled to Kaslan: That's how she is.
"Hey," Kaslan stopped smiling and his face changed: "Listen, I know why you were sent to deal with the Sword of Disaster."
"You, boy, you were sent here for a reason, Shao told me," Kaslan looked at Cohen seriously: "You have encountered the Sword of Disaster, right."
Cohen was stunned for a moment, then nodded subconsciously.
He lowered his head.
"It's in the capital of the stars." Cohen said with a serious face: "They are related to the Blood Bottle Gang."
As for the Sword of Disaster encountered in another place - Cohen thought of the reunion in the Hall of Stars, gritted his teeth and stopped talking.
not the right time yet.
"You never told me that, Cohen." Miranda frowned and looked at her counterpart.
Cohen frowned, grinded his teeth slightly, and did not answer.
It's not that I don't want to tell you.
But... if we want to talk about the Sword of Disaster.
Then Raphael...
Cohen's expression remained unchanged and he clenched his fists slightly.
"And you, little girl," Kaslan turned to look at Miranda: "You weren't dragged into the Purifiers for no reason, were you?"
Cohen's expression changed. He raised his head and looked at the female swordsman, who had a similar background to him, had similar experiences, and had known her for many years.
Miranda gritted her teeth and remained silent.
Kaslan didn't speak, just waited quietly for her answer.
After a moment, Miranda spoke with difficulty.
"This is about my father, the Warden of the North... the former Duke of the North Warden, Val Allende." At this point, the young lady of the Allende family paused.
Cohen looked at her worriedly.
That...treasonous Duke?
But in the eyes of Kaslan, this neatly dressed little girl, although her voice was unstable, she still gritted her teeth and spoke slowly and word by word: "Just in the last four or five years, I found that he was talking to some people.
Strange swordsmen from the north come and go...and their finishing power is weird..."
Miranda raised her head, her face solemn: "I told Chartier about this."
Cohen looked surprised.
"Look, this is why you are here... You have all been exposed to the Sword of Disaster, and you have even fought directly, and you know their characteristics." Kaslan said slowly: "That's why you were included in the Purifiers."
Hearing the familiar vocabulary, Cohen looked solemn.
"Uncle, do you also know the Purifier?" he asked.
"Know?" Kaslan laughed out loud.
Cohen looked at him strangely.
"A long time ago," Kaslan's face slowly turned cold, "Shao and I formed the Purifiers."
Cohen's eyes widened, while Miranda stared at the old man in surprise.
"Listen, the Purifier was established a long time ago," the old man said slowly, "just like the Sword of Disaster also started moving a long time ago."
"A long time ago?" Cohen repeated seriously, remembering the records of the Blood Bottle Gang and the Sword of Disaster in the past hundred years.
"A long time ago," Kaslan nodded solemnly: "We, two young people who are crazy about swordsmanship and curious about the power of the end, tried to find out the truth about the Sword of Disaster and finally eradicate their threat."
"At that time, we were almost the same age as you. We were far from reaching the extreme state. We were impulsive and active, regardless of the consequences." Kaslan said calmly.
"Shao and I made a lot of efforts... in various ways, but the results were always ineffective. At that time, the Sword of Disaster was much more low-key and hidden than it is now - many times, we couldn't find it for several years in a row.
Their traces." Kaslan had a nostalgic expression on his face.
"Later, I joined the White Blade Guards, and as for Shao... he became the inheritor." Kaslan said slowly: "The Purifier stopped."
"Until one day, Shao informed me that he was preparing to reconvene the Purifiers."
"Why?" Cohen wondered: "Why do we need to reconvene?"
Kaslan gave him a somewhat thoughtful look.
"Because they - the Sword of Disaster started moving again," Kaslan said with an oppressive solemnity: "Just twelve years ago."
Kaslan showed a fierce and vigilant look, like a dangerous hunter eyeing his prey, and the next sentence popped out from between his teeth: "And he is more high-profile and active, more unscrupulous, more dangerous and deadly than before."
Cohen was stunned.
Twelve years ago…
Wouldn't that be...
He looked at his contemporaries.
Miranda was seen clenching her back teeth tightly, and was shocked by this fact.
But the little girl is more pale.
It seemed like I was remembering some unforgettable past.
Cohen frowned.
"Follow me," Kaslan stood up with a solemn face: "I will take you to see Croash and the clues about the Sword of Disaster."
The old man turned around and led them away.
"This matter involves something deeper. It's not just the Sword of Disaster and the Tower of Ending, it's also related to your Prince of the Stars." Kaslan opened a door and led the way, talking as he walked.
"Wait, what did you say?" Cohen said in surprise: "You mean, Thales Shining Star, the second prince who went on a mission to Exeter?"
Miranda frowned.
"Yes," Kaslan said with a smile: "That's an interesting kid. He just stayed here not long ago."
"The Heir to the Stars...what happened between him and the Sword of Disaster?" Cohen asked solemnly.
"Didn't Shao and the others tell you?" Kaslan turned around strangely.
Cohen shook his head, while Miranda on the side thought of something and her expression changed.
Just listen to Kaslan say slowly:
"The Sword of Disaster once tried to assassinate your Highness."
At that moment, both Cohen and Miranda were stunned.
A few seconds later.
"The Sword of Disaster?" Cohen asked urgently: "Why? Why did they want to assassinate the prince and heir of the stars? I thought their target was just us, just the Tower of the End..."
"Listen, you don't understand the Sword of Disaster, and neither do I," Kaslan's tone changed. He stopped and turned around, "But based on my experiences in the early years..."
Kaslan showed a solemn expression: "Their goal is by no means as simple as defeating the Tower of Ending and replacing it."
"As for that prince... who knows, maybe some northern lords who want his life are involved..."
"Impossible!" Miranda said calmly: "His Majesty Kessel has used the oath about the throne to restrain those who want to murder him - His Royal Highness the Prince will be safe in Exeter, no one dares to attack him
.”
"Really?" Kaslan laughed. After the laughter disappeared, he looked at the young man in front of him with complex eyes.
"Your prince, and the oath of your king... turned him into those precious ancient alchemy balls. Once destroyed, they will explode and hurt people," Kaslan said lightly: "Indeed, in the North
, everyone dare not do something to him, at least they dare not let him explode in their own hands."
Having said this, Kaslan lowered his head and his eyes darkened: "But they all hope that he will explode in the hands of others."
————
Thales stared blankly at Nicolai and Marquis Shles in front of him, thinking about the invitation - or request - brought by them through King Nunn.
"Wait a minute, let me hear what you mean," Thales had an ominous premonition in his heart: "Hasn't King Nun found the collaborator of his enemy, Grand Duke Lumba?"
"Look, this is why we came to see you, Your Highness," Marquis Slys nodded slightly and showed a polite smile.
"Why does it have to be me?" Thales said dullly, "I'm just a seven-year-old kid, I can't play such a high-end game."
"You are not just a seven-year-old child, you are also a seven-year-old genius." Shless added with a wink.
Thales closed his eyes and felt a huge headache.
well.
"As you said, Prince of the Stars, you are the one who should bear the wrath of His Majesty Nunn," Nicolai spoke slowly, his tone full of faint coercion: "Now there is an opportunity for you to escape.
Pain that should not be endured.”
"Yes or no, it's up to you, boy."
Thales let out a long sigh.
"About the collaborator of the Grand Duke of Lombardy," the deputy envoy of the mission, Putilai, had already realized how things were going to go. He asked solemnly: "What do you know now?"
"We have a very obvious goal," Nicolai replied with a pale face: "When you were still under Broken Dragon Fortress, Lombard once besieged your mission in order to seize the fortress and tried to lure the fortress
The defenders attacked."
"Yes," thinking of Araka and his Fury Guards, Thales took a deep breath: "There is such a thing... It is definitely not a pleasant memory."
"The magic gun unit in the Lombard army, under the order of a spy officer, tried to assassinate you," Nicolai, who was riding a horse, continued: "And based on the information we and the darkroom have, it is almost certain that the spy
The officer behind the scenes is our target."
Thales thought of the bombardment of the magic gun and stared at the snow with lingering fear.
"As far as I know, Lumba is also investigating this matter. When we arrived at Lord Kaslan's Hero Tavern, their investigation seemed to have made some progress..." Putilai frowned: "So,
The man behind the scenes who sent spies in the Lombard army to try to kill His Highness Thales and then frame Lombard for it happened to be Lombard's collaborator when he planned to murder Prince Morar?"
"Sounds very chilling, doesn't it?" Marquis Schles shook his head slightly, his eyes looking deeply: "He conspired with the Grand Duke of Lombard to murder the prince of his own country, but he immediately betrayed and framed the murder of another foreign prince.
Grand Duke of Lombard."
"The nobles are like white mountain vultures fighting for carrion, intrigues and intrigues," Ada suddenly said under the cloak: "Northland, and the people of Northland, even the nobles and lords, were not like this before."
"Without the empire, you will fall faster."
The people marching were silent for a moment.
"Northland, Northlanders," Nikolai seemed to have been touched by some nerve. He stared at a red dragon flag with red edges and black background in front of him, nodded slowly, and said: "One day, we will find
Return to the pride of being a child of the dragon."
"In short, the Grand Duke of Black Sand still doesn't know that the person trying to frame him is his collaborator." Marquis Slys coughed: "And we confirmed this from the progress of Lumba's investigation."
"Charmaine Lombard must know the identity of his collaborator. In that case," Thales raised his head seriously: "Why not tell Lombard the truth and cooperate with him?"
"Don't forget that Lumba is also your Majesty's enemy. Are you colluding with him to avenge another enemy? I don't think the ruler of the Black Sand Territory will be obedient and cooperative," Marquis Slais sighed: "Besides, the people from the North
His character, tsk tsk.”
"We will not cooperate with parricide scum like Charmaine Lombard," Nicolai's eyes were filled with gloom: "And he and his collaborators will all have to pay the price for Moral's death."
"Since Grand Duke Lombard and that collaborator are both your enemies, one killed and injured most of your troops under the fortress, and the other even tried to kill you with a magic gun," Marquis Shles smiled unabated and accepted the question.
Happy topic, continued to put pressure on Thales: "His Majesty Nunn made it very clear, whether His Highness agrees or not, you are already on this ship."
Thales closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Although he had long known that from the moment he took on that title, he would have to face everything he had ever hated the most.
But he still underestimated the power of power games in this circle.
This is a game where you can't choose to play or not play, or whether to play it to your best.
Born for the stars.
Is this the rhythm?
What a disgusting feeling.
The second prince of the stars slowly opened his eyes.
"In order to attract that Lumba collaborator, right?" His Highness the Prince said calmly: "What are Nunn going to do?"
Nicolai was about to reply, but was interrupted by the prince using a completely different tone.
"Also, if I cooperate with his revenge plan," Thales raised his head, his eyes as bright and sharp as a sharpened sword: "What benefits is Nunn willing to give me?"
Nicolai was stunned for a few tenths of a second. He noticed that Thales no longer addressed him as "Your Majesty Nunn" or "King Nunn".
But the commander of the White Blade Guards immediately raised his lips and revealed a faint sneer.
"You will be satisfied," Fallen Starman looked at the second prince and said word for word: "The Walton family - the Dragonlance family is never stingy."
"There is another question," Thales continued with a stern look: "You said that from Lomba's investigation, we learned that his collaborator was the mastermind behind the murder of me using a magic gun."
"That's right," Nicolai frowned: "Is there a problem?"
"Where did you get the details of Lumba's investigation, and how did you confirm it?" Thales asked in a deep voice.
"This is our business." Nicolai shook his head: "You don't have to..."
But Thales immediately interrupted him.
"This is my business!" Thales had a firm expression and emphasized his persistence: "Especially when Nunn asked me to risk my life to play such a revenge game with him, I should have enough information to
Confirm whether his plan is feasible!"
Nicolai stared at Thales with a cold look in his eyes. As for what he was thinking, Thales had no way of guessing—until Slys coughed lightly at the side.
"Rumba has been tracking down the spy officer who commanded the magic gun unit. His manpower has efficiently found clues in the black market," Nicolai finally spoke slowly: "But when the truth was about to be discovered, a group of
Strange swordsmen suddenly appeared, and they used strange finishing powers to almost annihilate all of Lombard's investigators and cut off the clues."
"Strange swordsman? Strange finishing power?"
Nicolai nodded: "This was not within the scope of Rumba's knowledge, so he asked a professional for help,"
"And that professional," the Fallen Starman lowered his head and looked at the uniform of the White Blade Guards on his body, "is an old acquaintance of ours."
"And those strange swordsmen?" Thales asked.
Nicolai looked at him deeply.
"The person King Nun sent to the stars to collect the prince's body and investigate the assassination of the mission sent back a message the day before yesterday," Nicolai detailed the key to the intelligence: "The prince's last guard is using Walton
The family’s secret methods left behind crucial clues—among the assassins who attacked Prince Morar, there were also several strange swordsmen with weird and unusual finishing powers.”
"You mean," Thales figured it out: "The swordsman who assassinated Prince Morar and the swordsman who intercepted Lumba's investigation are all the same people?"
Nicolai nodded slightly.
"who are they?"
"According to the news, they are a group of traitors from the Tower of the End, people who hide their heads and hide their tail." Nicolai looked at everyone: "The Tower of the End has a very special name for them."
The meteorite man had a profound expression and said slowly:
"The Sword of Disaster."
Thales' thoughts were interrupted for a moment by this name.
Disaster...
sword?
"Ah!" Huaiya, who was listening, remembered something and suddenly exclaimed softly.
"Speaking of which, when I was in the Tower of Termination, I seemed to have overheard several inheritors talking about this name." Huaiya felt that everyone was looking at him and said slightly nervously: "But it has always been a legend.
, the Sword of Disaster...it is said that they are a group of traitors who want to replace the Tower of the End."
Thales frowned.
"Let's find some time to talk, Huai Ya." The second prince said: "About the power of the end, and the Tower of the End."
Wyatt nodded.
"In any case, this group of so-called Swords of Disaster participated in the assassination of Moral and the betrayal of Lomba at the same time. They must have a close relationship with Lomba's collaborator to listen to his deployment and let him run wild," Nicolai
Looking at the snowy field in the distance, he frowned and said, "We have connected these two things and caught their tail."
"I understand," Thales nodded solemnly: "When will Nunn's plan start?"
"Weilan Snowfield is right in front of us. Passing through it is Longxiao City." Nicolai looked at the snowfield in the distance, almost in line with the sky, and said slowly.
"The five Grand Dukes should have arrived at Longxiao City. The first hurdle you have to face is to meet with them and King Nun. Be prepared, Your Highness," Marquis Shlais rubbed his gloves and looked at them.
It is full of excitement at the beginning of the drama: "In public, His Majesty King Nun will show a tough attitude towards you, maybe... a little rough."
"rough?"
"Just right, it's been a long time," Thales looked at the sky with a thoughtful look. He gently touched his neck, recalling the feeling when it was tightened, and said loudly:
"I like being rough the most."
Slice's smile became even brighter.
Nicolai's eyes glowed with a strange light,
Putilai took a deep drag on his pipe.
Ada continued under the cloak, bowing her head and saying nothing.
Wyatt and Rolf just looked at each other blankly.
It’s noon, and the sun is hanging high above the snowy fields.
But everyone who has stayed in the Northland for many days knows this.