In the corridor outside the banquet hall of the Palace of Heroes, Grand Duke Olesiu chewed on the name with a subtle expression. However, he turned his eyes and looked at little Thales with disgust on his face.
"The next co-king of Exeter?"
The Grand Duke sneered.
"I've heard something, kid," the bearded Grand Duke said coldly: "They say you are a precocious genius... Very good, you are indeed a little smarter than ordinary children, but that's what disgusts me the most.
place……"
Thales looked startled.
It seems that the initial impression was very bad.
"Use sensational stunts to bluff people, right? Duel with the king, Rumba, what else?" Olesiu's eyes were cold and his tone was ferocious: "A brat like you who has been good at this since childhood will definitely be the same when he grows up.
A poisonous snake full of intrigues."
"Maybe I should grab the sword today and stab it into your chest." Olesiu spat fiercely: "We have enough troubles for the stars, and we don't need you to add more fuel to the fire...
Imp of the Empire.”
Oops.
Thales's heart tightened, and he realized that the conversation was about to collapse.
"Then why do you still come to Longxiao City?" Thales quickly organized his words so that the conversation could continue and not be interrupted by the other party's dislike of him: "If you are really like what you said, I
Your arrival is troublesome, so why do you come here to cause trouble?"
He looked calm on the outside, but inside he was nervously looking up at the ruler of the Welland Territory in front of him.
Will it succeed?
"Causing trouble? You may be a trouble, but you are far from being feared, kid," Olesiu sneered: "Let me see the game between the stars and the dragon in twelve years and see what we can learn from it.
What a prince gains, see if our king is old and dim."
"Then what's your conclusion?" Thales said with a smile: "Has your king let you down?"
Olesiu put on an ugly smile, which looked a bit ferocious under his beard.
"You should be lucky... he still retains his sense and has not been carried away by anger, so you are safe," the Grand Duke looked at the kid in front of him: "Only you have the opportunity to speak nonsense here."
"Safety?" Thales turned his attention to Olesiu's heavy sword and laughed sarcastically: "I think the sword on your waist may have different opinions... It almost got it."
Prince's nemesis' honor."
Archduke Olesio tilted his head and chuckled.
"Stop pretending, kid, I know you actually know it very well," he turned around, with a stern look in his eyes: "Forcing you to commit suicide... is just a farce."
Thales's heart tightened.
he……
"Don't look at His Majesty's appearance today, he will not easily start a war," Olesiu said with sharp eyes, "You are protected by your father's oath, and the princes will not support him in starting a full-scale war."
"As for his attitude towards you, huh, he's probably just pretending to show us." Grand Duke Weiland sneered lightly, shook his head and said, "Testing loyalty or something, it's an old trick."
"As for you and him..." Olesiu looked at Thales with a subtle expression, raised his eyebrows, and showed a strange smile:
"Actually, we are acting on the same stage."
At this moment, Thales finally changed his expression.
he knows?
Did he see it?
Thales was completely stunned.
"He insists on killing you and then seeing our reaction, right?" Archduke Olesiu said with disdain on his face: "At a time when his own family is about to be ruined, he is deliberately planning it."
From the moment he entered Longxiao City, the strong aura of King Nun, the endless nagging of the grand dukes, the red and white singing of Nikolai and Shles, and the relaxed attitude of Putilai who tried his best to make him feel at ease.
The Prince of the Stars was more or less bewitched.
The increasing number of time traveler memories in his mind also made Thales feel complacent, always feeling that even in this dangerous world of cannibalism, he should be one of the smarter ones.
So much so that he had the illusion that the five Grand Dukes of Exeter were like flat paper figures that could be folded and kneaded with just a little force, and like laboratory rats that would react appropriately with a little stimulation.
.
But it was only now, after the rude and rude Archduke Alessio unabashedly exposed the self-righteous tricks he and King Nun had played that Thales suddenly realized: standing in front of him was a person.
.
A living person.
Even in an abandoned house, facing children of just a few years old, he could not clearly understand their behavior and psychology.
What's more...
The person in front of me is a northern nobleman with a long history, noble status and high moral character. He is a strong man who has been in the ruling position for many years. He is a Grand Duke of Exeter whose power is comparable to that of a king.
It has stood firm for many years in the harsh and cruel cold winds of the North.
How can such a person be so smart and scheming?
Thales lowered his head and gritted his teeth slightly under Olesiu's slightly mocking gaze.
No.
I haven't lost yet.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them.
"Do you know him very well?" This time, the voice of the Second Prince of Stars seemed to have lost its previous ease, but with a hint of solemnity and calmness: "Your Majesty Nuen?"
Olesiu looked at Thales, who quickly recovered from the shock, and his eyes flashed.
"Yes, I know him - since the first time I was brought to Longxiao City by my father to meet him."
"But I know better what it feels like to sit in this position - to control, maintain, and protect a family, a city, a territory, and a group of subjects," the Grand Duke said quietly: "After the tragedy of Walton, for the continuation of the family
Nun has a lot of things to clean up, make up for, and make arrangements for the future of Longxiao City."
"Starting a war will only benefit the Black Sand Territory, people like Lomba, the territory, resources and population of the neighboring stars...the enemy will benefit. This is something he never wants to see."
"So, the person who also doesn't want to start a war and whose interests are really consistent with him," Olesiu chuckled and shook his head: "Actually, it's you, the little brat of the empire."
"Why does he want to be your enemy?"
"Whatever drama you're playing with him...that's all."
"You are on the same front, Walton and Bright Star." The Grand Duke snorted from his nose with a cold expression.
Thales sighed slightly.
That's right, how could a person who sat on the throne of Grand Duke more than ten years ago and ruled to this day be a fool?
What Thales could think of, these great dukes could naturally think of.
At least, they still have think-tank subordinates similar to Cambida to the Grand Duke of Black Sand.
Where did he get the confidence to rely on the so-called time traveler's memories that were incomplete for more than 20 years, completely inconsistent with the era and background, with completely different civilizations and societies, and far different statuses and classes...
Like countless senior time travellers, they can rely on their superb interpersonal skills, outstanding memory, and ever-present aura and aura to survive in the social competition (countless times more intense and cruel than previous lives).
Come down, stand out among the elite people from the other world, obey your orders obediently, and do whatever you want with them?
He was helpless even when faced with Quaid Roda, who was in charge of the beggars in an abandoned house, and his deputy Narrik, wasn't he?
Thales lowered his head dejectedly.
Human will and behavior are always elusive and mysterious existences.
And thousands of elusive human hearts make up society.
And society is by no means a precision machine that can operate perfectly by setting the parameters.
He must be like the purest social science researcher, facing a world that is completely different from the past, and always maintain the most humble, open-minded, and cautious attitude, instead of being complacent and immersed in the superior consciousness of "progress".
After all, he has no system, no chip, and no technology tree that can be climbed step by step with the click of a button like Civilization VI.
After all, he has not traveled to Shuangwen's world.
Thales stared at the ground steadily, motionless.
"Your gimmick ends here... Charmaine Lombard becomes the king?" Olesiu seemed happy to see the confident seven-year-old kid speechless: "His Majesty Nunn's sanity is still there, Charmaine
That guy can't gain anything by starting a war, and he can never become king."
"And...don't forget the grudge between them."
"Next time, find a better reason and come up with a reasonable gimmick - and then try to sow discord."
After Olesiu finished speaking, he was ready to leave.
Thales was behind him, slowly clenching his fists.
Maybe.
I really.
Not fit to be a prince or even a king.
but……
Under Waiya's surprised gaze, Thales laughed softly.
At least, I want to be a survivor.
stay alive.
The next moment, Thales suddenly raised his head and looked at Archduke Alessio, who had not walked far away.
"you are wrong!"
Olesiu stopped.
"Just because His Majesty Nunn is still sane..." Thales' voice came from behind him:
"Charmaine Lombard is destined to become the next king."
"And I, myself, am not as safe as you said, so this conversation is going to happen between us."
"Are you talking about the same old tricks again?" Olesiu sighed: "My dislike for you will only..."
The second prince did not give him a chance to speak.
"The key is not how good my words are, but whether it is related to your interests." Taylor's eyes reappeared with perseverance and stability: "It is related to the interests of Welland."
"Listen to what I have to say."
"Then make your own choice."
Alessio frowned.
"The next words I will only speak to you." Thales looked at Alessiu, his two followers who were strong, sharp-eyed, and obviously had extraordinary skills.
Archduke Olesiu narrowed his eyes and seemed to be deep in thought.
"Why, are you still afraid that a child will assassinate you?" Thales sneered: "Or, do you want to go back early and drink two more glasses of wine with your four good colleagues?"
Seeing the foreign prince in front of him who looked young but spoke mature words, Archduke Olesiu felt a strange sense of absurdity in his heart.
After a few seconds, the Grand Duke laughed and asked his entourage to walk away.
Thales secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At his signal, Huaiya, the prince's attendant, nodded and left solemnly.
The brazier in the corridor was burning brightly, and two figures, one large and one small, faced each other quietly in the dark.
"Tell me, according to your theory, how can Lumba become the king?" Olesiu didn't look at Thales. He nonchalantly reached out to the brazier and toasted his frozen hands.
"I was assassinated in front of Broken Dragon Fortress," Thales said with an indifferent expression, getting straight to the point: "The murderer wanted to blame Lumba."
Grand Duke Olesiu pouted and raised his eyebrows: "I heard something."
"It's a pity that he didn't succeed," Olesiu said disdainfully: "Whether it was to kill you or to frame Lumba."
Thales ignored Oresio's hostility and continued: "This made Lombard realize that an enemy was secretly reaching out to him, and his situation at home was not good."
"Lumba is a strong man, this is nothing to him." Archduke Olesiu said expressionlessly.
"For this reason, Lomba proposed to form an alliance with me to fight our enemies together," Thales still didn't care about the other party's words. He was like a robot in his previous life, explaining the truest facts without any emotion or color.
:
"He provided me with all the resources I need in Longxiao City in exchange for the help of a future king of the stars."
At this moment, Olesiu curled up the corners of his mouth and laughed awkwardly.
"A promise made by a seven-year-old brat who has not yet put on the crown - Rumba is stupid to form an alliance with you. He just changed his position temporarily because there is no hope of attacking the stars." The Grand Duke moved the hand that was warming to the fire to the back of his hand: "
And that doesn't make him king."
"Of course." Thales said coldly.
"That's all?" Olesiu snorted: "How are you going to help him become the king? Send a notice to support him?"
At this moment, Thales's face changed: "But this is not Rumba's plan!"
In a calm tone for more than ten seconds, he suddenly raised his voice:
"I'm not the one who can help him become king."
Olesiu's eyes moved and he shifted his gaze from the brazier to Thales again.
"Of course he knows that my value is not that great! Except for the sign called 'Star', I am worthless!" Thales sighed: "But believe me... I followed him in his military camp.
Once I met him, he was definitely not an idiot."
"Humph, I know him better than you do." Olesiu clenched his fists on the brazier and said indifferently: "Twelve years ago, he ruthlessly nailed his brother to the ground in the duel field.
At that time, I was there to witness it with my own eyes.”
Thales took a deep breath and nodded: "He just pretended to form an alliance with me. In fact, I guess he has other plans."
"And he's about to do it."
Olesiu frowned with his thoughts between his brows and carefully looked at Thales in front of him.
"Go ahead, kid," Olesiu sighed and said impatiently, "Very good, you successfully caught my attention."
Thales was stunned.
This line... seems to have been heard somewhere?
Forget it, it's not important.
Thales took a deep breath.
"Nun," he heard himself say slowly in the calmest and most careful tone: "Charmaine Lombard, wants to cooperate with King Nun."
"Alliance with Walton, the Dragonlance family, and Longxiao City."
A few seconds passed.
"Hahahahaha!" Olesiu burst into wild laughter.
He tilted his head with a nonchalant expression on his face.
Thales just stared at him quietly.
Alessiu put down his hands that were warming up to the fire, clasped them together, and said with a cold gaze: "Is this your guess? I thought you were just good at using gimmicks, but I didn't expect that you are also good at creating gimmicks!"
"I saw with my own eyes that Lumba was trying to contact Longxiao City!" Thales replied coldly.
"Impossible!" Olesiu put away his smile and said resolutely: "Rumba is suspected of murdering Prince Morar. It is a blood feud. His Majesty Nunn will not cooperate with him."
"Why do we want to avenge our blood relatives?"
Thales quickly caught up with his words and retorted with cold eyes: "For justice to be done? No."
"It is so that our family will no longer suffer similar violations, it is to give the most severe warning to the enemy, and it is for the ultimate continuation and prosperity of the family."
Alessio frowned.
"For this goal, everything can be abandoned." Thales nodded slowly: "Including hatred and honor."
"King Nun has not lost his mind...that's what you said." Looking at the archduke's expression of deep doubt, the second prince said calmly: "Walton has lost its last direct heir, but it is not dead yet, Nun
The king will not let it perish."
"It was Lomba who made the first move. He targeted Longxiao City and killed the other party's only heir. Trust has disappeared." Olesiu was still shaking his head. "If you want to find an ally, it can't be Nunn."
Your Majesty—Rumba will not look for trouble on his own."
"You just said that you know Lumba better than I do. Do you know whether he has the courage to risk reconciliation with his enemies for the sake of profit?" Thales calmly countered the Grand Duke's words: "Don't forget, several years ago, the North of the Stars
The Duke of Realm, Val Arlend, wore a hood and made an alliance with Lombard...and Arlend and Lombard were feuding."
Archduke Olesio took a deep breath.
"Also, you saw that we were acting, didn't you?" Thales saw the wavering in the other party's eyes and continued to throw out the bait he had prepared:
"Why do you think Lumba sent an army to escort me to Longxiao City so solemnly? Do you think His Majesty Nuen really let his white-blade guards set off early to 'tie' me to Longxiao City out of anger and anger?
Are you from Xiaocheng?"
Olesiu was slightly startled.
"That was indeed a show!" Thales tightened his face and sped up his speech, making his voice sound more urgent and excited: "Let's show it to all of you! See how His Majesty's anger burns.
Get up."
"To confuse you and conceal his deepest purpose."
"But it is not to prevent the war between stars and dragons, or to prevent the Black Sand Territory or the Grand Dukes of the South from gaining benefits in the war."
"But for the alliance between Longxiao City and Black Sand Territory."
Grand Duke Olesio closed his mouth and exhaled deeply, as if thinking.
"During those few days, God knows what Nikolai from Longxiao City and Cambida from the Black Sand Territory were talking about in the tent!" Thales sighed: "We only saw them outside the tent.
The situation is tense."
"But I can probably guess it." Thales heard his tone return to calmness, and saw Olesiu's eyes gradually becoming deeper.
"The Walton family is destined to decline," the second prince sighed lightly: "After the death of His Majesty Nunn, Walton will even face annihilation after the next king election."
"So, he must place his bet on a powerful Grand Duke, a future king - even if this person is suspected of murdering his son."
Olesiu turned around and looked at the moonlight outside the window.