"Are you sure I don't need to wear this? Ms. Jinni said that at the banquet..." In the room, Thales frowned, holding up a small trimmed vest, and asked Putilai.
And these are the luggage that the mission worked hard to carry along with the flag, right?
"This is in Exeter, in the Northland," the neatly dressed Putilai looked at him disdainfully: "Even at the banquet, they hate pretty boys and sissies the most... If you really want to use that thing
If so - I think you will be the strongest competitor for the banquet clown."
Thales stuck out his tongue and threw down his vest.
"Ah, you know," Ada, who was sitting by the window, came back to her senses and sighed with regret: "A banquet without a clown is boring."
After nearly a month of nervous tension, Thales had no time to think about anything else. From the ruined house to Red Square Street, from Mindis Hall to Fuxing Palace, and then from Broken Dragon Fortress to Longxiao City, the new second prince even had his own bed.
He was not even hot from sleep, so he was rushed into the noble's carriage, put on the prince's yoke, and faced a different kind of challenge that he had never seen before.
So it wasn't until the servants and Michael came to remind them that Thales suddenly realized that he had no experience or knowledge in attending noble banquets.
He had not lost his composure when facing swordsmen, vampires, and magic masters, but he suddenly became a little nervous.
"Don't worry," Putilai ordered the Northland tobacco he ordered from the servant disapprovingly, "Compared to the standards of the Stars and the Principality of Anrenzo, Exeter's banquet is simply a military camp picnic for the big-headed soldiers——
If you've ever experienced the style of Humble and Suye, my God, their banquet etiquette is hell."
"Etiquette, decoration, fashion, style, these efforts to distinguish status, separate status and class, and classify people have never stopped," Thales tried his best to calm down the uneasiness in his heart with small talk. He squatted down and spoke in front of a simple
Adjusting his shoes in front of the full-length mirror, he sighed: "I must take a shower after tonight..."
"Let's think about the business tonight first," Putilai seemed to be unaccustomed to the choking tobacco in the North. He coughed and said with difficulty: "Ahem, damn, they sent inferior goods——"
Putilai's words seemed to have magic power, making Tails immediately forget about the awkwardness of the upcoming banquet and seriously think about the situation in front of him.
The door rang.
Rolf stepped on his increasingly proficient metal prosthetic leg and walked in. It seemed that this was the first time he had encountered such an occasion, and his face was a little pale outside the silver mask.
Huaiya, who came next, seemed calmer, as if he had seen such a scene before.
"Your Highness," Thales' attendant nodded solemnly: "Everything is ready."
Next to him, Rolf made gestures:
【They are coming.】
Thales nodded.
The second prince took a deep breath and gestured back amid Putilai's confused expression and Huaiya's furrowed brows:
【Let’s go.】
————
Before the sunset had completely set, Exeter's welcome party had already begun.
Led by the king's officer Michael and a group of servants, Thales walked beside Putilai, followed by Rolf and Wyatt... As for Ada, everyone agreed that she was not suitable to participate in such an action.
"I don't know what your Highness understands the banquet in the North, but I must remind you that the distinguished guests from the stars may not be used to our banquets," Lord Michael said expressionlessly: "And tonight is quite special.
…”
Thales responded with a friendly and understanding smile.
The group of them stepped on the rough floor tiles of the Palace of Heroes and stepped on the stone steps.
"The banquet hall is where King Nekaru hosted a banquet for the Nine Knights. It is said that the banquet for the heroes of the North lasted for three days and three nights, and consumed almost all the captures during their campaign," Michael said with respect for them.
Introducing the place he is about to go to: "It was also in this place, amid the cheers inside and outside the castle, that Nekaru Aix was elected king."
Thales stepped onto the last stone stairs and arrived at the sixth-floor corridor of the Palace of Heroes.
Lively and noisy voices could be heard.
The ground on this floor is almost seven or eight meters high from the ceiling. There are many braziers here, which are supported on shelves one by one and evenly lined up throughout the corridor. They are burning brightly, illuminating the Palace of Heroes after the sun goes down.
Like daytime.
Different from the corridors on other floors that are full of rooms, the corridor on this floor only has a thick wooden double door in the center. The servants coming and going have cheerful faces, either carrying plates or holding wine barrels, coming in and out.
Thales took a deep breath, exchanged glances with his subordinates, and under the leadership of Michael, stepped into the banquet hall of the Palace of Heroes.
The sounds of noisy discussions, the clinking of wine glasses, the tearing sounds of knives cutting flesh, and even the sounds of quarrels, gradually grew louder and began to intrude and torture his ears.
Thales raised his head and saw the hall clearly.
This is a circular hall, with the triangular flags of the Dragon Spear logo hanging on the wall, blazing braziers lit in every corner, and several bright ceiling-burning lamps hung on the ceiling (thank God, Thales
I thought the only lighting fixtures in the Palace of Heroes were braziers). Servants appeared at the side door and barbecue grill from time to time, bringing waves of food and drinks to the venue.
The banquet hall can accommodate hundreds of people - and it is indeed the case now. At least one or two hundred people sit around a dozen rectangular tables placed in parallel. These rectangular tables are perpendicular to the direction of the door, leaving a space in the center line of the hall that is large enough to accommodate
Passage for servants and guests.
Thales frowned and looked around. He couldn't see the place further away in the hall due to his height, so Putilai explained it softly in his ear.
But the atmosphere in the venue was quite lively.
Busy servants coming and going with plates, rude nobles arguing loudly on the table until their faces turned red, guests who had been drinking for some time and their faces red, and lecherous nobles who laughed and touched each other from time to time, taking advantage of their drunkenness.
Passing by the maid's buttocks, there was a burst of yelling.
The five Grand Dukes sat at the main seats of five long tables with different expressions: the bearded Grand Duke Olesiu had a steady expression on his face and absentmindedly turned the wine glass in his hand. He was surrounded by almost all families with triangles and circles emblems.
Knights or subordinate lords; the shaved pot-headed Grand Duke Trudida laughed with the surrounding subjects, seeming to be at ease in socializing; the bald Archduke Lecco sat together with Marquis Slys of the Camus Alliance
, listening carefully to the latter's slow speech; the long-haired Grand Duke Ronny still had a serious face, and seemed to have a cold aura. The long table where he was sitting was the most deserted, and no one dared to come forward to talk, only the servants and subordinates behind him.
Food or wine was added to him from time to time; the young Archduke Perfitt raised his wine glass with a smile on his face, and talked to the various nobles sitting around who didn't know whether they were their subordinate princes or their entourage. The latter
They nodded frequently, and then drank the wine in the glass together.
What a group of people drinking and drinking together - it was a replica of the Northland villagers and soldiers drinking and drinking together in Aikou Village.
If Thales hadn't raised his head and saw Nunn VII sitting on the horizontal table a little higher at the end of the hall, surrounded by White Blade Guards and sitting among several ministers drinking silently, he would have almost forgotten it.
Those swords and swords lurking in the conspiracy tonight.
It is almost forgotten that among these five great lords, there is a conspirator who is so bold that he intends to murder the princes of the two countries.
"I don't know, it turns out that the banquet has already started." Thales turned his head and said helplessly.
"Most of the nobles have already taken their seats," Michael said calmly: "His Majesty Nunn is waiting for your arrival."
Thales narrowed his eyes and finally glanced at Nunn VII in the distance, noticing that he still had a cold expression on his face.
The king seemed to notice his gaze, and his old but sharp eyes swept towards this place.
"Then it's about to begin." Putilai behind him muttered intentionally or unintentionally.
Thales sighed slightly in his heart.
A few seconds later, the waiter on the side announced his identity in a loud voice at Michael's signal:
"Distinguished guest from the Kingdom of Stars, His Royal Highness Prince Thales Bright Star!"
The sound spread to every corner of the hall and even echoed.
The noisy banquet suddenly fell silent.
At a dozen long tables, almost everyone stopped what they were doing - whether drinking, cutting meat, chatting, fighting or even teasing the maid, countless eyes were cast on them.
Even many servants, guards on guard, and even the White Blade Guards looked in this direction.
Thales recognized this feeling - the last time was at the state meeting in the Hall of Stars in Yongxing City.
"Should I laugh at this time?" Feeling the various gazes ranging from malice, murderous intent to curiosity and friendliness, Thales' expression remained unchanged and his lips moved slightly: "It is better to put on a dead face, which is more in line with my identity as the enemy prince.
?”
"Relax, relax, they opened the show early and didn't even arrange the order of seating... You don't have to make a fuss and prepare for it." Putilai looked at the anxious prince and sighed: "No expression is important, you are just a face now.
The flag called 'Star'."
The expressionless Michael nodded to Thales, politely stretched out his right hand, and motioned for him to move forward.
"Should I just walk forward like this? Or should I stay behind and wait for someone to greet me?" Thales ignored Michael. He frowned under the pressure of everyone's attention and asked Putilai behind him in a low voice.
"If you are in the stars, of course you have to wait for the host to send someone to take you to your seat, but this is Exeter," Putilai frowned and glanced at the messy hall. Many guests seemed to have given up on the temptation of curiosity, and even
He has already begun to bite the food that was served: "Don't expect so much etiquette - walk to your seat without looking away. I guess it is the one next to King Nunn."
Thales walked forward with a smile that was neither humble nor overbearing, but also amiable that he imagined a "prince" should have.
Unlike Xingchen, who insisted on rules and etiquette in everything, there was not even a carpet in the banquet hall. When he stepped on the uneven floor tiles, he felt as if he had returned to an abandoned house.
As he walked past the long table, whispers came to his ears, and his good hearing showed its effect at this time:
"Is that the young prince?"
"I heard that it has been lost for many years..."
"Seven years old? Are you kidding me?"
"The Star People preached that he was a miraculous person. You know, a genius... Humph!"
"So, our army can't move because of this kid?"
"The Black Sand Territory is in disgrace at the border...the kingdom's fury..."
"Rumba sent an army to send him over..."
"If this battle still has to be fought, it will have to wait until spring..."
Thales walked straight forward without looking away, towards Nunn VII who was also staring at him with an unclear look.
Finally, more and more nobles exhausted their curiosity, gave up the idea of seeing the prince's face, and returned to the rhythm of the banquet.
The nobles of the Northland are particularly different from their counterparts in the stars. The latter always behave elegantly in the Hall of Stars. Even the country nobles sitting on the outermost periphery must try their best to look like civilized people, whether it is
Whether it's behavior or clothing decoration - this also makes the three northern families headed by Arend, Forris, and Zemuto and their subordinate nobles stand out among the princes of the stars.
But the group of northern nobles in front of me may be different in terms of status and personality, but they all behave like rough men: from their sitting posture to their eating habits, from their appearance to their clothes, they must make deliberate noises even when drinking.
Grunting, then dripping a few drops from the edge of the beard, and then slamming the bottom of the cup on the table, loudly scolding the opponent, or being scolded by the opponent.
Thales silently observed the behavior patterns of this group of nobles while walking between the long tables on both sides. He couldn't help but notice that except for the maids, there were almost no female relatives in this banquet.
"The people who will appear here at the back of the banquet hall are low-ranking nobles, lords and ministers, meritorious knights, specially invited bureaucrats, etc.," Putilai reminded lightly from behind him: "The one in front of you on the left is wearing the same clothes.
The only good ones are the servants who deliver the food. The one in the back right corner who is roasting meat on the stove looks like a servant, but is actually the chief officer responsible for cooking the meat. This is usually done by the lord's most trusted ministers."
"Asking the ministers to roast meat—Guan Zhang? Why?" Thales did not look back. He wondered: "Isn't it something that should be done by the chef, or is this an honor?"
"Humph, my prince," Putilai said calmly: "Do you know how many assassinations and poisoning intentions in the history of the empire originated in that corner of the silent barbecue?"
Thales shut his mouth and stopped talking.
They walked through the middle of the long table. Sure enough, from here on, the "quality" of the Northland nobles seemed to increase with their status. There were far fewer pointing fingers in the banquet crowd, and the exchange of glances in silence, and
The murmurs of unknown meaning rose sharply.
"The open space in the center of the hall...if it were placed in the Star or Enrenzo, it would be a dance floor and performance venue, but in the Northland," Putilai walked past several guests with unhappy expressions, ignoring a rude noble next to him.
Cursing in a low voice, he pointed at a circular space in the center of the hall and twitched his cheek: "According to my experience, when you are drunk, don't be surprised if you see two rough guys fucking each other desperately."
Thales frowned when he heard Putilai speak foul language for the first time: "Is it really okay to use such language to a prince?"
"Do as the Romans do. Years ago, I saw a noble princess from Exeter standing on the street and yelling at people with words like '***.'" Putilai shook his head: "Besides, I don't think she can
Prince, you are quite used to these terms."
"Ah, as your Royal Highness, I am just like the noble princes in many poems and legends." Thales looked at the several grand dukes already at the table in the distance and covered it up calmly: "I have been here all over the world.
He has tasted the sufferings of the people and is both virtuous and kind."
Putilai snorted noncommittally.
They finally reached the end of the long table.
Among the people closest to them, the one with the highest status was Archduke Alessio.
"No music and minstrels, no clowns and burlesques, no beautiful women, no busty maids, no whole pigs roasted, no jousting by the good men, no rejoicing with the people in tents all over the city,
"Tales heard Archduke Alessio complaining unhappily to the lords around him, then turned around and shouted dissatisfiedly in the direction of King Nunn:
"What the hell kind of party is this?"
Contrary to Thales' expectations, many northern nobles actually echoed in unison and issued a wave of protests in the direction of King Nunn.
Like a vegetable market... Thales sighed, suddenly thinking that he had given the same evaluation to the State Council before, he couldn't help but be startled.
But King Nun just stared coldly at the chaotic nobles in the audience without any reaction.
A loud but eerie voice sounded from the long table on the other side, responding to Olesio:
"First of all, this is the eve of the extreme cold. Except for lunatics like Lumba, the entire Northland is scrimping on food and clothing and storing food for the winter. Secondly," the Jarhead Grand Duke of Trudida stood up with squinted eyes and looked from a distance.
Looking at Prince Thales who was restless in the field:
"This dinner is to welcome the unpopular Prince of the Stars!"
The nobles around him stood up and cheered.
Thales and everyone in Xingchen frowned almost at the same time.
"Finally, Rebien Alessio, when you live in other people's castles and palaces, eat their food, drink their food... Hey, maybe even fuck theirs," the Archduke of Trudida said towards a big-assed man.
The maid glanced at it and showed an interesting smile: "Then it's best not to dictate the master's arrangements."
Some northern nobles laughed inexplicably.
Olesiu shook his head disdainfully and sat back in his chair.
Thales finally came to King Nun and bowed slightly to him.
King Nun looked at him, his green eyes full of complex emotions.
This made Thales extremely uneasy.
From the moment he stepped into Exeter, the Grand Duke of Lombard, the Viscount of Cambida, and even the five Grand Dukes present, every lord he met was not a simple thing, but Thales, who had experienced many storms, had been able to calm down.
Face their hostility, coercion, oppression and even murderous intentions.
Because Thales knew exactly what they wanted.
Only the old king in front of him, the king who had already stood at the pinnacle of Exter's power, made him unable to figure it out.
The strange emotions hidden in the eyes of the other party, the actions that forced him to cooperate in revenge, and the words and deeds in the meeting hall all made Thales couldn't help but feel chilled in his heart - even though the conversation between them only lasted a few words.
Unpredictable people are always scary.
In the meantime, King Nun slowly stood up and raised his hand to signal to the leader of the White Blade Guards, Nikolai.
Nicolai nodded and walked to Thales: "Please take a seat. Your seat is at the end of His Majesty's left hand."
Thales turned his head and looked at the unoccupied seat at the end of the row of horizontal tables.
Although we are in the same row as the King, it is... so far away from King Nun.
Almost a corner.
Putilai behind him sighed.
Thales shrugged and walked to his seat nonchalantly.
Rolf and Wyatt followed closely.
But before he could sit down and warm up his butt, a familiar yet unfamiliar old voice sounded in the hall:
"Everyone, raise a glass!"
Thales turned his head blankly, and Putilai beside him remained unchanged and handed him a glass of rye wine in an iron wine glass with great experience.
"Toast." The thin deputy envoy said calmly.
Thales turned his head and watched King Nunn, who had just lost his son, leave his seat, raised his glass high, and shouted to the audience:
"Welcome our guest...the second prince from the Kingdom of Stars - Thales Shining Star!"
The renewed noise in the hall fell silent again.
I saw the old king slowly stepping out of his seat and walking towards the front of the hall.
Like an old lion taking dangerous steps out of its territory and into the territories of other lions.
The five princes stared at him intently, raising their glasses from afar, with different expressions.
"May the north wind measure his courage, and the ice and snow wash away his perseverance!"
"For reasons you all know, I cannot welcome his arrival with joy," King Nunn looked around, with a firm expression and cold words: "But he is already here!"
All the nobles present listened quietly to their king's speech.
Many eyes were cast towards Thales' corner.
"Then don't let anyone doubt the enthusiasm of the Northlanders and the tenacity of the Exeter people - even if they are enemies of life and death!" King Nun knocked on the wine glass, with a majestic look on his wrinkled face, and in his tone
The boldness of youth is vaguely visible:
"Even if we have to fight to the death tomorrow, we must first fulfill our traditions!"
Under the spotlight, King Nunn shook his glass and roared: "For Exeter!"
At that moment, everyone in the hall raised their glasses and roared:
"For Exeter!"
King Nun's eyes were sharp. He spoke again and shouted a second time: "For the North!"
The guests roared in response: "For the North!"
The raging roar filled the entire hall like thunder, deafening.
The next moment, King Nunn moved swiftly and drank all the wine in the glass.
Following his actions, the nobles in the hall all looked solemn and began to drink. For a moment, the only sounds in the banquet hall were the gurgling sounds of countless throats.
Thales frowned. He held the heavy iron wine glass in both hands and reluctantly took a sip under the gazes of many eyes behind him.
King Nun finished his wine, turned around with an angry look on his face, and slammed the bottom of the wine glass on the long table!
"Boom!"
The nobles in the hall also unanimously placed their wine glasses on the table in front of them.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"...
King Nuen raised his head again, and under the eyes of all the people in the hall, he shouted:
"come!"
"Eat! Drink! Hit! Fuck! Do whatever you want!"
In that second, Thales was truly stunned.
What the hell is this toast?
Nun VII had a fanatical look on his face, and with a rich and old voice, he shouted to all the guests in his common language with a Northland accent: "Until you lie down, roll, soften, and crawl,
Be carried out of my palace!"
"Bastards!"
After a second, the guests in the hall burst out with the same enthusiastic response, echoing throughout the entire banquet hall like a tide!
Many Northlanders waved their fists and howled like wild beasts to show their support for the king's banquet.
The guests resumed the banquet where they drank and drank.
The whole hall instantly returned to chaos, noisy and lively, and the crowds were even louder than before!
"A distinctive toast," Putilai whispered in Thales's ear: "Northern characteristics."
"You don't need to remind me about this," Thales rolled his eyes, showing a helpless expression: "I can see that."
At this moment, King Nun, who was returning to his seat, suddenly turned his head and gave Thales a meaningful look.
Thales was shocked.
He read the message from the king's gaze.
He also knew that the other party definitely did not want him to enjoy the banquet.
But before he could turn around to discuss with his subordinates, an unexpected guest came to his seat first to visit the second prince of the stars.
Thales was stunned.
Standing in front of him was a kind old woman in a red robe...
"Good night, Your Highness Thales," the other party squinted his eyes, his voice was gentle, and his smile was full of reassuring warmth: "My name is Kashan."
Thales showed a friendly smile for no apparent reason.
But before he could answer, Putilai beside him spoke first: "Is there anything special you can do?"
At that moment, Thales noticed that Putilai beside him had a very bad expression, and had even stiffened up, staring at the old woman in front of him.
The attendant behind him, Huai Ya, also lost his breath.
Thales raised a question: They seem to know this old woman named Kashan?
Before Putilai could finish speaking, his face turned pale, and he seemed to have difficulty breathing and opened his mouth: "Dear..."
"Your Excellency Scarlet Witch?"
Scarlet Witch?
Thales looked at the kind old woman in front of him in confusion.
Witch?
What the hell?
"Oh, it's just a feeling of missing family, and I especially want to ask His Highness," the kind-hearted Kashan squinted her eyes and shook her head slightly, as if she was a little embarrassed: "How is my son doing in Xingchen?"
son?
Thales was stunned again.
"Um," the second prince responded calmly with the perfect smile he learned from a certain young duke: "Who is your son?"
Kashan, known as the Scarlet Witch, smiled gently:
"Ah! Look at my memory, I forgot to mention it."
"My son, his star name is..."
The next second, under Thales' unclear gaze, the kind-hearted Granny Kashan kept rubbing her hands as if she was afraid of the cold...
He spit out a name that made him instantly change his color: