"You came at the right time. Everyone has gone to see the Prince of the Stars. No one is around, so there is no need to worry about being discovered."
"I like you, buddy." Next to a private house in Longxiao City, a short and stocky man put his arm around Cohen Karabiyan's shoulders and laughed: "I can watch it even without Kaslan's recommendation.
It turns out that you are a good man."
"Only those who have served in the military have such a body!"
Miranda walked behind them silently, watching Cohen socialize with Kaslan's friends alone.
Cohen made full use of his three years of experience on the border front, working with the soldiers, and responded without any unfamiliarity.
"Same for you! Big belt! Look at these muscles, they really don't look like retired people!" Cohen responded with a hearty laugh: "How did you get this nickname? Kaslan never told me.
"
"This..."
"It's a story about when I was guarding the troops on the glacier." The man nicknamed Big Belt, his expression changed when he heard this, and his face was full of pride, "I was still a recruit at that time. During the autumn harvest one year, I would
There was a surprise attack."
"So you are an elite scout of Glacier Watch!" Cohen's face showed surprise: "No wonder... So you have had many fights with orcs?"
"More than that!" Big Belt laughed proudly: "After ten years of service at the 38th Outpost, my brothers and I killed a total of fifty-two orcs!"
Cohen was in awe.
Orcs.
These "ancient enemies" have been fighting against mankind since the age of ignorance.
That is not an enemy that can be easily dealt with.
"Back to the origin of Big Belt... That was my first battle. While I was on duty, five or six orcs entered the outpost." Big Belt shook his head: "We met one head on, son of a bitch.
The ugly thing, almost eight feet tall, with wrists thicker than my thighs!"
"That son of a bitch killed three of our brothers and also suffered a lot of injuries. I was the last one. He beat him so much that his weapon was broken," Big Belt said with excitement, beating his chest fiercely from time to time. "I was
I thought, I had no other choice, so I just took out the sentry's standard belt, jumped on his shoulders, and then..."
Following the words, the big belt gritted its teeth, exerted force, and hugged Cohen's neck: "Just like this... tie a knot and strangle its neck!"
Cohen pulled his neck and coughed violently, feeling the other party's excessive enthusiasm.
"I was riding on his shoulders, pulling on the belt with my right hand, and holding the little broken shield with my left hand! That son of a bitch raised his war hammer and waved at me like crazy, again and again!" Miranda said strangely.
Under his eyes, the big leather belt shook Cohen's neck vigorously, making the latter dizzy.
"Until it fell limp to the ground, my shield was almost shattered."
"Ah!" Cohen recovered from his dizziness and raised his head in surprise: "You didn't let go, did you? The more seriously injured the orc is and is on the verge of death, the greater the power to fight back!"
"That's right!"
"Brother, I see that you are knowledgeable!" Big Belt slapped his thigh and said loudly: "Never let go! This is a lesson I learned later - at that time I thought it had run out of air, so I loosened the belt.
...As a result, the damn beast bounced up as if coming to life, screaming and holding my head tightly!"
"Fortunately, His Majesty the King was inspecting the north at that time, and the White Blade Guards came to support him. Kaslan arrived in time and opened the back of that son of a bitch's head with an axe!"
"I almost lost my breath at that time! But from that day on, they all called me 'Big Belt'! Haha!"
Cohen sighed, thinking of his past on the Western Wilderness Front.
"So, you have also had fights with orcs?" Big Belt asked curiously, showing strong interest.
"Yes, but it's not the glacier orcs, but the desert orcs." Cohen smiled: "We worked as mercenaries there. The way to deal with the orcs is to stay short and lower your head, go around behind or attack from the crotch."
"Ah, this is what those imperial people in the south do, going around in circles with the orcs," Big Belt muttered: "You can't do that in the north. In the cold weather, our movements are stiffer than usual and not flexible enough. So in the north
On the ground, the best way is to attack head-on, fight quickly, and kill with one blow."
Cohen nodded approvingly: "It's different in the desert. Orcs have a high tolerance for scorching heat and are not afraid of the high temperature brought by metal armor. They have equipment ranging from plate armor to chain armor. I have even seen them armed to the crotch
The orcs in our department must use our dexterity at this time to find opportunities to hit the vital points..."
While talking enthusiastically about each other's battlefield experiences, the big belt finally brought them into the house.
"Oh, look at you, a typical Northland girl, with a big body, big breasts, and pretty face." The big belt let them into the room, and when they saw Miranda next to Cohen, their eyes suddenly lit up: "Ka
Silan introduced you here... Do you want to consider staying? We have several good guys here who are single, and there are even tough guys who have retired from the White Blade Guard..."
Miranda's expression suddenly changed and she looked at Cohen awkwardly.
Cohen spread his hands, indicating that there was nothing he could do.
But Big Belt immediately frowned, shook his head and said: "Forget it... they are not worthy of you - they are all bad people who want to make quick money and are not willing to work hard in their hometown. Rough guys, I guess...
If you can't take care of your family, what qualifications do you have to please a good mother-in-law like you?"
Big Belt sighed: "You have high ambitions but low ambitions. You can't even support yourself. You deserve to be single on Singles' Day."
Miranda said nothing, just listened to Big Belt's words.
"A Northland girl as tall as you, with a strong body, strong strength, and fair skin according to the standards of the upper class, must be a hot commodity in my hometown," Big Belt babbled as he sat down.
: "I have three younger sisters, so I know that girls your age, who are impulsive and enthusiastic, always look down on the young men near home. They want to go out and look for opportunities to meet the bravest, most courageous, and highest-level combatants.
warrior, maybe there will be a chance to marry him."
"But believe me, the world outside looks wonderful, but it is always much more complicated and difficult to understand than back home. The men outside may be handsome in armor, but they are not as simple and single-minded as the silly boys back home - take my advice.
, you should go home well, knit the thickest robe, make the toughest dagger, surround the most beautiful wreath, and use them to choose the most sincere among the young men who are surrounding you.
Yes, but don’t be too busy giving him sweet treats and whetting his appetite...then wait for him to be recruited and come back from the battlefield - this is the standard for a man to become a good man - and then look at his intentions.
If he still hasn’t changed, then put your wreath on that young man’s neck and take him to see your parents..."
"Don't care about his family fortune or his origin. The most important thing is that he is responsible, has responsibility, truly loves you, cares about you, knows how to love you, and preferably is a little afraid of you... These days, family wealth
Neither Wan Guan nor noble background can make up for the lack of sincerity..."
Cohen held his stomach tightly, suppressing a smile, and looked at Miranda's face getting darker and darker.
"I often tell my daughter this: When she grows up, she will eventually marry into a good family, but it must be someone who truly loves her. I also look forward to one day handing her over to a good young man..."
Belt was talking so hard that he suddenly frowned.
Cohen watched in surprise as Big Belt's face turned extremely ugly.
The latter suddenly stood up and rushed out of the house.
"You... I thought you were going to see the prince enter the city, but you ended up hiding here!"
Before the two people in the room could react, the next second, several boys and girls screamed in surprise from outside the room.
"Dad, stop it! Kevin... just came over to give me something..."
"Uncle...speak slowly if you have something to say...ah!"
The big belt’s shocking roar then sounded:
"Send things?"
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking, damn brat!"
"Get away! Get away! Stay away from my daughter, stay away from Sethia!"
"My daughter is not ready to get married yet! If she dares to secretly come to Sethia again..."
"I'll break all three of your legs!"
Accompanied by the dancing of the chickens and dogs next door, Cohen stared at the big belt with inconsistent words and deeds, and looked at Miranda opposite.
Then they both burst into laughter.
While smiling, Miranda raised her head and looked at the Palace of Heroes on the hillside in the distance.
Her eyes quickly became blurry.
A silly boy from my hometown.
Simple and dedicated...
————
Thales stepped stiffly on the floor tiles of the Palace of Heroes and moved forward step by step.
Unlike Fuxinggong Palace, which is simple and simple, with the same style inside and outside, the interior decoration of Yingling Palace is very contradictory.
Some places look rough and grand, such as the rough carvings on each doorway, the stair handrails made of huge wood, the animal heads specially made as trophies on the walls, etc., but there are many places that are very delicate and cleverly carved, such as some special
Carved floor tiles, ceiling domes with paintings in the corners, luxurious eternal lamp holders, etc.
The traces of history and time are also different. The materials and colors of the wall tiles in some corners seem to have lasted for hundreds of years, and some places have obviously been renovated within a few years.
To put it bluntly, the interior of the Palace of Heroes is like layers of murals, with new marks piled on top of the past, and history and the present intertwined.
But Thales had no intention of appreciating these.
He is trying his best to adjust his state, thinking about Exeter's unique political identity proposition of "King-Grand Duke", and preparing to deal with the next challenge.
Although Nunn VII had already given him some advice through Nikolai and Slesti, Thales' past experiences had convinced him that the unknown is the theme of life, and accidents always come suddenly.
You must prepare yourself.
At Michael's signal, the second prince of the stars passed by the white-blade guards who were looking at him intently, passed through countless doorways, and slowly walked towards what appeared to be an elliptical circular stone hall.
The lighting here does not seem to be good and the light is dim, but there are blazing braziers on the six iron frames in the stone hall, which not only drives away the cold but also brings some wavering lighting.
Like Rumba, it is also a brazier... Do the Lords of Exeter like braziers so much?
Thales complained secretly in his heart.
He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and entered the stone hall.
Michael did not follow, and the door slammed shut behind the traveler.
Thales saw from a distance a simple and heavy brown-black rectangular table in the center of the stone hall.
At the other end of the long table, facing Thales, sat a gray-haired old man.
He was about sixty or seventy years old, wearing a thick red and black robe, and a dark golden crown. The crown looked very simple, with only a dark red gemstone inlaid on his forehead.
The old man put his hands on the table but lowered his head and remained silent. Due to the distance and light, Thales could not see his appearance clearly.
But Thales already knew his identity.
Thales approached the quaint long table.
On the left and right sides of the old man, five men of different descriptions and clothes were sitting, two on the left and three on the right.
If there is anything they have in common, it is that from the moment Thales stepped into the stone hall, five men of different ages all cast unfriendly or even fierce glances at the seven-year-old boy.
.
One king and five princes.
Thales stood in front of the long table and immediately frowned: the Exeter didn't leave a single seat for him.
There was no intention of giving him an extra seat.
Not good.
He gritted his teeth gently.
Thales was forced to stand on the cold stone ground, facing the six most powerful lords of Exeter. Because he was not tall enough, he had to look up.
This made the atmosphere in front of him very unfavorable to him.
It seems that respecting the old and caring for the young is not the theme here - it seems to be back to the era of beggars.
Thinking of this, the time traveler laughed out loud in his heart.
Relieved a lot of tension.
Thales calmed down his mood. The storms and waves he had experienced since Red Square Street had given him a lot of experience. Even in the face of the most dangerous situation, he was confident that he could calm down in an instant and find a way out.
and……
Thales turned his gaze to the five people on both sides of him, but due to the backlight, the faces of the five people were hidden in the dark and not very clear. Only a pair of eyes flashed in the firelight, putting great pressure on the visitors.
.
Moreover, the man who united with the Grand Duke Charmaine Lombard and the Duke Val Arende tried to get involved in the replacement of the throne, assassinated the prince twice, and succeeded in one of them, and even set off an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between the two countries...
The culprit that almost caused war and conflict, and brought disaster and death...
He is also the main culprit for ending up in the situation he is in today...
Among these five people... Thales looked at five shadowy figures in the darkness, clenching his fists secretly.
And his only possible ally is not very friendly.
Thales raised his head and looked at the old man at the far end of the table.
He is a supreme ruler who has just lost his beloved son.
He couldn't help but notice that the stone hall was surrounded by cloth flags marked with the Dragon Spear in the Cloud. Only behind the old man was a huge square fireplace, and the wall above the fireplace was inlaid with a black
Wall shelf made of wood.
On the ledge is a long gun with a strange shape and unknown material.
Different from the ancient knight's spears with handguards and fixed handles that Thales saw in the books of Mindis Hall, although this spear is two meters long, it has no handguards and is as thick as its entire body.
The gripping part at two-thirds of the gun body is specially frosted. The gun body shines with a silvery metallic color, but the gun head is dark and shiny, equipped with a square-tapered sharp edge, which looks ferocious and sharp.
"Soul-killing Spear."
A low and slow voice sounded in the stone hall.
"That's the weapon Nekaru once used. It's also the emblem of Walton's family, and the reason why we are called the Dragonlance family." The old man on the other side of the long table tilted his head slightly, and as the firelight danced, he
Revealing faces in the darkness.
It was a resolute but wrinkled face, with silver-white hair and typical Northlander features. The eyes were sunken, the bridge of the nose was high, the outline was prominent, and the curve hanging at the corner of the mouth was exposed.
A hint of coldness.
"Its sharpness and danger are said to be only comparable to the Star's Judgment Gun, which has killed countless souls."
"In the past hundreds of years, it has slaughtered and severely damaged many famous enemies - even if they are as sinister as the 'Mourning Archduke', as cruel as the 'Human Slayer' Sheela Darklei, and as powerful as 'Wolf Enemy' Keira
, as fierce as the Nightwing King and as weird as the powerful magician."
Thales frowned slightly.
Thales suddenly remembered Kaslan's evaluation of the old man in front of him:
"He was a good king when he was young, a standard Walton burly man."
Thales and the old man looked at each other, and he found that the other man had a pair of blue eyes. He didn't know if it was inherited from the Walton family - anyway, Thales himself did not inherit Kessel's sky-blue eyes...
Thales was suddenly startled. He remembered what Archpriest Li Xiya and Queen Keya had said about his gray eyes - those were the characteristics of his mother.
His thoughts returned to the present.
But Thales then felt shuddering.
He was more or less aware that the old man's blue eyes were projecting a different kind of emotion at this moment.
It was full of vicissitudes and gloom, sorrow and depression, like a person who had been immersed in despair for many years.
Dangerous and scary.
"In the next hundreds or thousands of years, killing souls will live up to its name," the old man with an iron-faced face spoke slowly, condensing into a powerful sentence: "We will definitely kill more."