Thales stared at the black ring with an ugly expression.
A triumph for the "Poison Emperor".
He didn't know what emotion to use to face this matter.
That duel with ups and downs and a wonderful reversal at the end, that duel that could be said to be related to the fate of the two countries, actually...
"So," he said with difficulty after a few seconds, "In the duel, this is how you...'triumph'?"
King Nuen smiled softly, his eyes showing cunning and pleasure.
"As you said," he returned the words of Thales to the second prince intact: "After all, it involves such a big country, what if something goes wrong?"
Thales' thoughts were in confusion.
He had just established in his heart from that duel the image of the heroic, heroic, old yet heroic Nun VII.
Collapsed suddenly.
Instead, there was an old king who was wily and cunning, turning the ring behind the long table.
"Remember, little Thales," King Nunn said meaningfully: "A king should never be hot-headed, use impulse instead of reason, and resort to uncertain gambles just for pleasure - you are not only
Yourself, or the whole country."
Thales ignored his words, his mind was spinning rapidly at the moment.
It took a long while for Thales to recover from the shock, and he tried his best to grab a few clues from his chaotic thoughts.
According to what he learned about the North along the way, once this secret is leaked, King Nun will become the target of millions of people's reviles.
This is enough to destroy the reputation of the Walton family, end the rule of Longxiao City, and even endanger the dignity of the entire Kingdom of Exeter and all Northlanders.
but……
Thales turned his head, looked at King Nunn who was silent and had a complicated expression, and said in disbelief: "Why did you tell me?"
Shouldn't this be a top secret that will always rot in the stomach and be taken to the grave?
"Do you know how serious this secret is?" Thales felt his heartbeat speed up and unconsciously clenched his fists lightly.
However, King Nunn just looked at Thales calmly and showed a pleasant smile - without any hint of the seriousness and nervousness after his handle was known to others.
"Of course," King Nunn sneered lightly and said nonchalantly: "This is the greatest stain on the way of the North. It is even disrespectful to the gods and contempt for the great dukes."
"Even the humblest Northlanders will despise their favorite king because of this matter - once the new king comes to the throne, he can use this reason to permanently expel the Walton family from the ranks of the Grand Dukes.
."
After speaking, King Nuen narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Thales with a deep expression.
"Now, you know the secret, don't you?" the king said in a playful tone.
Thales frowned. He looked at King Nun, and the doubts and uneasiness in his heart became deeper and deeper.
"Your Majesty Nunn, what do you want to do?"
At that moment, Thales felt that the old man in front of him was like a dark whirlpool with no bottom.
And he himself is like a small boat in the whirlpool.
A few seconds later.
"This is sincerity."
The old king said calmly.
"Sincerity?" Thales repeated doubtfully.
King Nun scooped up a glass of wine and took a leisurely sip.
"I gave you a bargaining chip," King Nuen said with a calm expression and a calm tone:
"And as long as you hold this bargaining chip, you can bring the Walton family to ruin at any time."
"What do you mean?" Thales' confusion continued to grow.
At this moment, King Nun's conversation changed again.
"You seemed to have mentioned it to Nicolai before," King Nun didn't pay attention to Thales's expression, he said softly:
"After you cooperate with me to find the culprit, do you want to get some benefits from me?"
Thales frowned and gritted his teeth slightly.
"Is this what you call a benefit?" Thales asked with some difficulty.
"Of course not, how can this be considered a benefit," King Nuen said with a smile: "It will only make you uneasy - especially when you are still in Longxiao City and within the scope of my rule - for this secret, you will
Always worry about your own safety.”
Thales took a deep breath and felt his mouth and tongue were dry.
He was feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles at the moment.
"The Dragonlance family is never stingy," the old king put away his smile. His words only made Thales feel chilled: "So, after meeting yesterday afternoon, are you still satisfied with your 'reward'?"
Thales raised his head suddenly.
"Yesterday afternoon?" Thales frowned.
"Yes," King Nuen looked at him with a deep expression: "Yesterday afternoon."
The expression on Thales' face changed.
yesterday afternoon.
After he came out of the Hall of Heroes, he got lost in the Palace of Heroes, and then...
Then.
"Why, do you think you are a foreign prince who has just arrived?" Under Thales' disbelieving gaze, the old king touched the ring on his hand and spoke slowly:
"Able to wander around my Palace of Heroes freely and without restraint?"
King Nun glanced at Thales with a sharp flash in his eyes: "You also happened to wander into Nekaru's library?"
Thales's heart skipped a beat and he froze in place.
"That was Michael who deliberately led you there," King Nunn said calmly and calmly:
"So you have met my granddaughter, Thales."
The next second, Thales sat blankly on the steps, listening to the calm and comfortable King Nunn softly said:
"Your future wife..."
"With the Queen."
The hall became quiet again.
Thales froze on the spot.
The scene in the library appeared in his mind.
The unruly and willful little princess who beat and scolded her servants at will, Alex Walton.
But then another figure appeared that made a more profound impression - the sloppy little girl wearing black-rimmed glasses, with a dusty face, lying on the ground reading a book.
Little slippery head.
King Nun didn't speak any more. He took another sip of wine calmly.
Thales spent a full minute to sort out the current situation.
"Why, what's going on?" Thales breathed quickly, and he raised his head: "What do you mean?"
King Nun took a deep breath and looked up at the fireplace on the other side of the hall.
Looking at the ledge on the fireplace, the ferocious weapon passed down from the hero Nekaru to the Walton family.
Soul-killing gun.
"Among the lies you told Alesio and the others, at least one sentence was correct," King Nunn's eyes burned with unknown emotions:
"For the continuation of Walton..."
The old king turned his head and fixed his sharp eyes on Thales with a firm expression:
"I must place my bet on a strong man, a future king."
Thales' face turned pale, and his fists clenched tighter and tighter.
He suddenly figured out something.
King Nun did not speak, he was waiting for Thales's response.
"The Walton family is dying." After a while, Thales said silently:
"You want to use marriage to force the Bright Star Royal Family and the Star Kingdom to preserve the survival of the Dragonlance Family?"
"You want me to marry your granddaughter," Thales unconsciously raised his tone:
"Let me, let the Kingdom of Stars take over this burden?"
King Nun held his wine glass and looked at the soul-killing gun.
He snorted softly, seemingly disapproving of it.
"No," the king's old voice sounded again: "What I am giving you is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"A bargain that cannot be refused."
Taylor was suddenly inspired.
"Think about what you can gain," King Nunn's eyes were full of depth and coldness:
"As a blood relative of the Duke's family in Longxiao City, the supreme royal family of the stars..."
"From now on, I can intervene in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Exeter."
At that moment, Thales's heart was filled with ice.
"One of the descendants of you and my granddaughter will inherit Walton's surname and rights and become the future Grand Duke of Longxiao City," King Nun said in a cold tone, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him:
"And you, Thales Shining Star, you will do what neither Oath Keeper Midir IV nor Hero Sarah can do."
"You will become the supreme king of the Kingdom of Stars..." King Nun's face remained unchanged, and he said words that made Thales feel confused:
"Also the regent of Longxiao City, the first territory in the Kingdom of Exter."
Thales stared at King Nun in a daze.
Even though he had memories that were incompatible with the rest of the world, and even though his brain was running wildly, he couldn't react immediately to the news.
"But before that," the old king's face became more serious than ever:
"If you still want to hold on to the Walton family's bargaining chip, you still want to use Dragon Sky City to constrain the Kingdom of Exeter..."
Thales exhaled dejectedly and took over King Nunn's words:
"The Kingdom of Stars and I must do our best to ensure the rule and status of the Walton family in Longxiao City and protect the Dragonlance family from dying in Exeter, right?"
King Nun showed a satisfied smile.
"If the new king in the future intends to use the reason of 'no male heir' to deprive the Walton family of their rights, he will have to think carefully," Nunn VII continued:
"The attitude of the Western Continent Shield in the south - what he touches is your cheese."
King Nun showed a firm look: "What you need to do is to show the existence of the stars and maintain the rule of the Walton family - even if there is only one little girl left, no matter how much the other grand dukes oppose her - we can continue to rule the country.
I will gain the biggest bargaining chip and advantage when facing Exeter in the future.”
"This can also strengthen the weight and status of the Bright Star family in the country and improve the reputation of the royal family at the same time - given your current situation."
Thales suddenly remembered the conversation they had when he first arrived at Mindis Hall, when Gilbert used a trick to make an alliance with Serena Corleone for him.
"Using interests to win allies," Thales unconsciously repeated Gilbert's words in a low voice: "This is the essence of politics."
"I can live for another eight or nine years, by which time the stars will begin to recover," King Nunn nodded approvingly: "After that, the last direct descendant of the Walton family, my granddaughter, your wife...
…”
"I'll leave it to you to protect me."
Thales didn't say anything for a long time.
marriage.
Stars and Exeter.
Bright Star and Walton.
"What if I say 'no'?" He raised his head coldly and looked at King Nun: "What if I don't want to be involved in this dangerous quagmire?"
"Dancing with the dragon, one's life often hangs by a thread, and," the second prince said calmly, "so far, those who want to form an alliance with me have either done me a lot of harm, or have been harmed by me."
Also - Thales recalled what Jann Kelvindill said to him on the day he set off north - if you are in the same boat as a jackal, you will be in danger of capsizing.
King Nun stared at him, his green eyes containing strange and indistinguishable colors.
Thales looked at the king without any sign of weakness.
"This has nothing to do with your wishes," finally, the old king slowly nodded:
"The Messenger Crow carrying the king's warrant will fly to Eternal Star City tomorrow - your father will decide this matter."
Thales trembled involuntarily.
"What if he...my father doesn't agree," Thales gritted his teeth and heard his hoarse voice: "Don't agree to bring Xingchen into this quagmire?"
"Oh, this," the old king replied nonchalantly: "I gave you the secret of 'triumph', didn't I?"
Thales's pupils shrank and he looked at him blankly.
"The stars can use this bargaining chip to destroy the Walton family at any time - this is enough to win his trust," King Nun said slowly with his old and powerful voice:
"When you discover a treasure, you may give up on it because you are concerned that it is a trap. But when you also have the ability to destroy it...will you still be persuaded by your own concerns and choose to give up on it?"
Thales was speechless for a moment.
Facing such a King Exeter and facing such a situation, even though he is as exquisite as him, he still feels "unable to withstand".
His intuition also told him that King Kessel would definitely agree to such an alliance.
"But the effectiveness of the 'triumph' chip will gradually fade with your death," Thales took a deep breath and followed the old king's words:
"The benefits brought by using 'Triumph' will become smaller and smaller. In comparison, Kessel...my father will definitely be more inclined to the benefits brought by marriage, and will be more inclined to support Wo
Walton, ensuring Walton’s status..."
"And harvest a nail driven into the interior of the Dragon Kingdom, changing the decline of the Star Kingdom after the Year of Blood!" King Nun raised his eyebrows, scooped up a glass of wine from the wine barrel, and poured it down his throat.
"I guess the nobles in Exeter will not be happy," Thales said dejectedly:
"Including every Grand Duke."
"Of course not - every one of them can't wait to see Walton decline." King Nun's eyes flashed, he put down the wine glass and wiped his mouth.
"But I am the king of Exeter, and I will clear the last obstacle for our cooperation," King Nunn answered him calmly: "The men of Longxiao City's service age will not be able to do anything in the next few years."
It will be peaceful - solving Rumba is just the beginning."
Thales figured it out instantly.
From Nicolai's temptation to the so-called "test" given to him by the king.
"So," at this point, Thales sighed: "You have already calculated everything."
"Don't confuse me with those shady conspiracy scum," King Nun snorted dissatisfiedly: "This is not a conspiracy, but - to use a Far Eastern word - a conspiracy that you can't refuse.
."
"Yes," Thales lowered his head, and an indescribable sense of loss rose from the bottom of his heart: "All these calculations, conspiracies and plots...or something like that."
"You're all good at this."
Just like when he first met King Kessel in Mindis Hall, Thales once again felt the helplessness and powerlessness of having his fate and choices firmly in the hands of others.
That feeling of powerlessness of drifting with the tide and blowing in the wind.
King Nun looked at him quietly.
After a long while, under the light of the fire, the old king slowly spoke.
"You are a special child, Thales," King Nun sighed, with a clear sense of vicissitudes in his voice: "I can feel it - you have the sharpness and determination of Suril and the sensitivity of Mosul at the same time.
unrealistic."
Sharp and determined.
unrealistic.
"Humph, thank you for the compliment," Thales replied tiredly, and chuckled: "I think you probably think the latter is the majority?"
King Nun, who talked about his two dead sons, took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.
"You are not weak, Thales, even if you are only this young," the old king said seriously: "From my observation of you and the rewards from Nikolai and the others - you are a survivor and have the ability to become a survivor.
All the qualities of a strong man, but what you need is time and tempering."
King Nun clenched his fingers into a fist and tapped the left side of his heart: "And a heart that is hard enough, cold, and unwavering."
A hard, cold, unwavering heart?
Thales frowned. He couldn't bear it anymore and asked: "Don't you feel tired? The palace, the country, the Grand Duke, the conspiracy, the trick, the assassination, all these... God knows what the hell is still waiting for.
With you."
Escaped from Hongfang Street... until now.
Magician, Blood Bottle Gang, Blood Tribe, Iris, Black Prophet, Six Great Families, Exeter...
Faced with malicious intentions, crises, and tiring conspiracies and calculations again and again.
Even though Thales struggled through the period time and time again, he felt that he was almost reaching his limit.
This pace of life made Thales exhausted both physically and mentally - even his life as a beggar in an abandoned house did not give him this feeling of "difficult road ahead".
"I guess," at this point, Thales hesitated and blurted out: "If Prince Morar is really the kind of person Perfit said, he will also feel tired."
King Nun's expression slowly froze, and his eyes were filled with deep emotions.
There was silence for a few seconds.
"It's normal for you to feel tired. Everyone gets tired." King Nuen finally spoke slowly.
"But for us, when you feel tired, want to stop, or even want to give up, you will feel..." He covered his injured shoulder and took a rough breath in the pain: "
Pain.”
“Whether it’s the pain of being swept up in a wave, unable to control yourself, or the pain of your enemies seeing that you are weak and vulnerable to bullying.”
King Nun pursed his lips as if he was remembering something:
"The kind of pain that goes deep into the bone marrow, pushing you back to the battlefield of boredom, and continuing to go back and forth between fatigue and pain until you get used to it all."
"This is something we are born to bear, not just us," the old king continued expressionlessly:
"Before becoming the Grand Duke, Oresio was poisoned twice by his half-brother; Trudida married the daughter of a mountain barbarian tribe leader, only to carve out a piece of land in the Sighing Mountains for his barren Reconstruction Tower.
Wasteland; the old bald Lecco once reluctantly married off his youngest daughter to Camus in order to maintain finances, until she died miserably in a foreign land; Ronny personally ordered the execution of six domineering earls on the territory on the day he became the Grand Duke.
He and the Viscount were the most trusted people by his father during his lifetime; and Lombard stabbed his sword into the heart of his brother in front of everyone, seizing the throne of the Grand Duke - but they were all in pain again and again.
and return tired.”
"Are you the same? Coming back from pain and fatigue?" Thales lowered his gaze: "For example, your son?"
For ten seconds, King Nunn did not speak.
"Do you know Suril, my eldest son, the man most promising to inherit this position?" After the silence, King Nun raised his head and stared at the prestigious soul-killing spear: "He died twelve years ago.
."
Thales was slightly startled.
"Alex...Miss's father?" he asked carefully while hesitating: "I heard from Lord Michael that he died in a hunting accident..."
"No," King Nun quickly interrupted the second prince this time, his face turned livid: "The accident is just our external statement."
Thales frowned slightly and held his breath again.
"During the hunt, he died of an assassination with ulterior motives," the old king said in a normal tone: "To be precise..."