Obviously, he had no intention of letting Thales go down with him.
Thales, who was still immersed in the news revealed by Lombard just now, held onto the carriage, steadying himself in shock and confusion. Under the worried eyes of the little slicker, he pressed his face against the glass of the carriage.
Lumba said someone wanted him alive.
who is it?
Who would want to save his life?
Is it really what I think...
Thales' thoughts were interrupted by the scene in front of him.
This is a small alley that has been cleared by black sand collar soldiers wearing patrol uniforms, clearing out a slightly larger open space.
The Grand Duke of Lombard regained his serious and unsmiling expression, held his sword and walked towards the center of the alley with steady steps.
There, a fair-skinned man wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket was waiting for the arrival of the Grand Duke with a relaxed look on his face.
Thales frowned slightly: he didn't know this man who was almost the same as an ordinary Northlander.
I saw this man smiling, raising his hands to his chest, bowing to Lumba, and moving his lips slightly.
Lumba nodded slightly and said something.
"Who is that?" Little Slipper's head moved closer to Thales's side.
"I don't know." Thales frowned. Lombard and Lombard didn't speak loudly, and they couldn't be heard in the carriage.
But this was about his survival, Thales told himself: he had to hear it.
must.
So Thales clenched his fists, closed his eyes gently, and recalled the unique feeling between life and death over and over again.
According to Black Sword, he was giving hints to himself over and over again, as if there was another person living in his body.
This is for survival.
help me.
One second, two seconds, three seconds, finally, the familiar fluctuation struck again.
The sins of the Hell River surged into his head as if alive, and Thales tried his best to focus them near his ears.
At that moment, he first felt that other parts of his body were a little heavy and a little weak.
But then a sound he wouldn't normally hear came to his ears.
The first thing Thales heard was the erratic heartbeats of himself and Little Slippery, and then the sound of Little Slippery rubbing his hands uneasily.
But Thales quickly mastered the trick. He turned his ear and put it against the car. Among the noise in the alley, he could barely hear the voices of the two men talking.
"Yes, he expressed satisfaction and joy for our cooperation," a strange male voice that Thales had never heard came slowly. The owner of the voice seemed confident and calm: "It seems to be going well?"
But the person who answered him didn't seem to have much patience to talk to him.
"Let's get straight to the point," came the deep and thick voice of the Grand Duke of Lombard:
"The boy is in the car."
Thales shivered all over.
He opened his eyes, raised a hand, and poked his little naughty head curiously to quiet down.
"That boy?" The strange man's voice suddenly rose, as if he had found a long-lost treasure.
Thales raised his head and looked out the car window.
There, the strange man in a thick coat turned his head and glanced in the direction of the carriage.
This glance seemed to penetrate the glass, making Thales shudder.
Those are a pair of eyes full of greed and desire.
Like a poisonous snake before hunting.
The strange man's eyes lit up and he looked back at Lumba: "Tiles Bright Star? Is it him?"
Lumba said nothing and still looked at him coldly.
"So fast?" The man narrowed his eyes, and after only two seconds, he confirmed the answer.
He folded his hands, raised his lips, and the lukewarm polite smile on his face suddenly became amiable: "The last city gate and the Palace of Heroes are still in the hands of Longxiao City - could you sneak in and kidnap him?
Out?"
A thought occurred to Thales: the Palace of Heroes is still in the hands of the Walton family.
Lumba snorted from his nose.
"I have my own way," the Duke of Black Sand's mood remained unchanged, not giving the man in front of him a good look at all: "What do you say?"
The man stared at the Grand Duke of Lombard with keen attention, like a small businessman looking at his biggest customer.
"Of course it's great!" The man clapped his hands and said with a laugh: "We are extremely grateful for your help. You will gain our long-lasting friendship..."
But his words were interrupted rudely by Lumba.
"Stop talking nonsense." Charmaine Lombard, who was wearing military uniform, snorted coldly.
He stared at the man in front of him with a cold face:
"What are you going to trade for him?"
The strange man was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't quite understand: "Exchange?"
The man held his hands lightly, his face moved slightly, as if he was chewing the word slowly, and then he smiled heartily: "Please forgive me for being verbose, but our help to you has been from before..."
"Help?" Lumba spoke again, blocking the man's words in his throat without any shame.
I saw Grand Duke Heisha snorting disdainfully:
"Except for contacting a reliable swordsman, you have done nothing."
Lumba raised his chin slightly, his eyes sharp: "You want that boy? Then you'd better change the price."
Thales, who was eavesdropping, was slightly shocked: Contact a reliable swordsman?
"Reliable swordsman?" The man quickly answered Thales' doubts. He frowned slightly and defended with a "how is this possible" smile:
"We are talking about the Flower of Assassins, and I guarantee that you will not find a better killer than them in this world, especially if you are aiming at the most difficult target."
Lumba said nothing.
"With all due respect, due to your intelligence error, Migratory Locust wasted too much time searching for the target in the Palace of Heroes." The man shook his head and sighed: "If our manpower hadn't discovered the target's whereabouts in time, Migratory Locust would not have been able to find the target at all.
It is possible to complete the task, but it is impossible for you..."
The man stopped speaking. He frowned and saw Lumba shaking his head slowly.
"As far as I know, Bananet Sariton is not one of you. He relies on his own knife to make a living, so I will discuss the remuneration with him alone." Lumba's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable tone.
smell:
"As for you, don't use other people's chips to bargain - if you still want to take away that boy, that prince."
In the carriage, while listening to these two conversations in which he was the protagonist, Thales suddenly figured out a certain link in his mind.
B'Annet Tharidon, he descended from the cliff of the sky and assassinated King Nun in the Shield Zone.
But according to that man...
In other words, the reason why Lomba appeared in front of him with his army...
The man didn't speak anymore, he just looked at Lumba quietly, with a complicated expression in his eyes.
But Lumba continued to look at him expressionlessly.
In the end, the man was defeated by Lumba's eyes, and he sighed:
"You are so greedy."
"We are not having a conversation." Lumba shook his head, said the next sentence coldly, and turned to leave.
The man's expression changed.
What a stingy Grand Duke - he said impatiently in his heart.
"Okay, okay, Your Excellency the Grand Duke!" He called to Lumba with some annoyance.
The strange man shrugged, seemingly helpless, but there was a strange light in his eyes.
"As long as you are willing to hand that boy over to us..."
The man slowly exhaled and his expression returned to the previous sly smile.
"We have a wide range of resources and manpower, from the Principality of Anrenzo to Warier State, from Jingbi City to the Devil's Islands, and the same is true in Exeter," the man chuckled twice: "I bet, the new
There will be many places where we are needed in Exeter. After all, not everyone will obey a vicious lord who is suspected of regicide. We can help you calm the situation in the country. If there are any vassals who are not short-sighted, you are not easy to deal with.
of……."
resource.
manpower.
It’s not easy to start…
Thales felt horrified in his heart!
At that moment, he suddenly knew the identity of the man in front of him.
But Lomba's answer was only two words coldly: "Not enough."
The man was slightly startled.
He frowned and seemed to be thinking carefully. After a while, he relaxed his frown and said with rare caution: "If this does not satisfy you..."
"We still have a lot of information, whether it's political scandals or national secrets. With some operations or even adjustments, it's enough to cause uproar in some small countries." The man's tone was no longer as relaxed as before, and in Thales' ears Here, he spoke faster and faster: "As far as I know, Exeter has always been very concerned about the situation in the west and the Golden Corridor, and we can make the Freedom Alliance fall into civil strife for several years and be unable to take action. , it can also make Baishan very anxious, if your ambition is more than..."
Thales clenched his fists and swallowed lightly.
Not good.
This sounds...
"Not enough." To Thales's expectation, Rumba's answer still only had two words: cold.
At this time, the man's expression finally became stiffer than he had ever seen before.
He studied the Grand Duke of Lombard for several seconds.
The man closed his eyes and exhaled a breath of hot breath from his nose. When he opened them again, his eyes were not only serious, but also filled with a chilling chill.
"Then what do you want?"
There was already a hint of impatience in the man's words, and his previously relaxed and cheerful tone began to cool down: "Power? We can act as your ears, eyes, hands and feet, swords, shields and horses to serve your ambitions. Wealth? Although our inventory is It’s not as good as one country, but some rare treasures are rare even for the royal families of various countries. Beauty? We can... No, I believe you are not such a person with low taste - so, Your Excellency, what is the price in your mind? "
The man took a deep breath, and the smile on his face disappeared:
"As long as you speak up, we can discuss it."
Lumba looked at him steadily, and at some point, a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"My price?"
Grand Duke Heisha snorted coldly, which caused a flash of displeasure in the man's eyes.
"As the organization's signature killer assassin, and even the intelligence secrets it relies on for survival - just for that boy, you are willing to pay such a price, without hesitation," Lomba suddenly moved and slowly approached the strange man, his eyes burning. Like a beast that has been dormant for a long time:
"This only proves one thing."
The man's heart trembled, feeling Lumba's oppressive gaze, he unconsciously took a step back.
Thales, who was in the carriage, heard Lomba say: "This boy is worth much more than all the above things combined."
With his extraordinary hearing, Thales heard his breathing begin to accelerate.
my worth.
what is that?
What does it have to do with them?
The man's expression changed again.
He stared, watching Lumba slowly press the sword on his waist, and the military uniform on the Grand Duke made a scraping sound.
"There must be some secret about him that I don't know about," Lombard said in a low voice, his gaze resting on the man's uncertain face: "My request is very simple: I want that secret."
"That's why you are trying so hard to get him."
After Lumba's words fell, the two of them stopped talking.
Negotiations return to silence.
For a moment, the only sounds in the venue were the faint sounds of people coming from outside the alley.
The atmosphere of the conversation became strange.
The two of them were still facing each other motionless.
Even Thales, who was anxious in his heart, couldn't help but wanted to get out of the car and urge him.
"Your Excellency, the Grand Duke, you haven't even conquered the difficulties in front of you, including Longxiao City and Exeter, and you are starting to think about other things?" Finally, the strange man slowly spoke out, with a deep voice.
It contains an unsettling plainness and coldness:
"You have such a promising future, why are you so ambitious?"
Thales couldn't help but tighten his lips.
"I have already released my price," however, Lomba did not have the slightest intention to get involved with the other party. He saw the Black Sand Duke looking at the man indifferently: "Tell me, why is he so important to you?"
The man glanced at the carriage, then lowered his eyes and said nothing.
"I'm pressed for time," Lombard added coldly: "You have ten seconds to make a decision."
The man's brows were constantly rising and falling, and his Adam's apple was twitching.
He is hesitating.
At that moment, even Thales held his breath.
"You know, he is a prince..." The man exhaled and said slowly: "Princes are naturally very precious."
Lumba sneered disdainfully: "Don't tell me that you are going to exchange him for ransom with Xingchen."
"Why not?" The man showed a long-lost smile, but there was a gloomy look in his eyes: "Everyone knows how wealthy the Bright Star royal family is."
"Then why don't I kidnap him myself for ransom?" Lumba asked him quickly, with dignity in his voice: "Why do I need to make a deal with you?"
The man clenched his teeth slightly.
"Your Majesty the Grand Duke, I thought we would come today..." The man responded with an ugly face, but Lumba interrupted the sentence again regardless of his feelings.
"Actually, I probably guessed something." The Grand Duke raised his head slightly, and the sword in his hand rang softly: "When you arranged for spies in our army to assassinate him, you did not hesitate."
"But today I said I want him alive."
Thales gritted his teeth lightly.
correct.
Lumba was talking about the assassination with the magic gun under Broken Dragon Fortress.
If you contact Perfitt again, his last words...
"I thought it would be fine if he died, but now I want to hold the living prince in my hands," Lumba said solemnly: "Your plot is related to the ownership of the throne of the stars, right?"
The man narrowed his eyes slightly, and from a distance, he looked like a poisonous snake spitting out poison.
But Lumba's next words made the man's color change suddenly:
"What you did in the stars twelve years ago is also related to this?"
It wasn't just the men whose faces changed drastically.
And Tails in the car.
Year of Blood.
He didn't expect that under such circumstances, he would come into contact with the secret that had troubled him for a long time.
"And the reason why you changed back and forth and no longer wanted to kill him..." Lomba has completely controlled the rhythm of the conversation. He tilted his head, and his eyes seemed to contain the entire winter of ice and snow:
"Some big shot in your organization came and overturned all the expectations of you guys, right?"
The man's face became increasingly ugly.
Just listen to Lumba say calmly: "Is it 'him'?"
Thales raised his head slightly, and a question arose in his heart: Him?
The man opened his mouth, took a deep breath, and then raised his eyes.
"You don't need to worry about this," the man's expression was full of indifference and rejection: "In a word: we need that boy."
"Of course," Lumba raised his left hand slightly towards the direction of the carriage and said softly: "The premise is that you tell me exactly why you want this boy."
The man looked at Lumba quietly, as if he wanted to find something from this face full of vicissitudes of life.
"Yes, that's right," the strange man said slowly: "If we control this boy, we will control the throne of the stars, right? It will also be of great help to you then..."
Rumba didn't let him continue.
"I'm tired of your nonsense, you errand boy," Grand Duke Heisha said calmly, with a rather uncaring charm: "Where is that big shot of yours? Where is the one who means what he says?"
The man's expression changed again.
Lumba looked at him expressionlessly.
"Your Majesty the Grand Duke, you are an ally that we value and cherish very much." He let out a long sigh, seeming to have made up his mind.
"In order for us to have more, deeper, and more important cooperation in the future, why can't we show some sincerity and goodwill to each other and leave some room for each other?" the man said silently.
Lumba looked at the man's appearance and took a long breath.
"The principle of cooperation is fairness," the Grand Duke said calmly without changing his expression: "You didn't do anything, and you want to take such an important bargaining chip from me?"
The man raised his eyelids slightly, a different chill reflected in his pupils.
"did nothing?"
The strange man sneered softly: "Believe me, Your Excellency, if we get to the point where we really want to do something..."
"You don't want to see that day."
Lumba's eyes flashed with a strange color.
"What do you mean by this?" Grand Duke Heisha whispered slowly, softly and word by word.
As if afraid of waking up people sleeping soundly in the morning.
Thales subconsciously felt something was wrong.
But the man seemed unaware of the Grand Duke's expression and tone, as he slightly curled the corners of his mouth.
"What I mean is that no matter how confident a person is, if they want to be our enemy, they'd better think twice."
The strange man raised his hand and straightened his robe, his words carrying a deep chill.
"You might as well take a look at Eddie II of the Stars," the man snorted coldly: "And his terrifying eldest son, see where they are now..."
Thales slowly frowned.
Lumba looked at him motionless, with no wave in his expression, but an inexplicable color dancing in his eyes.
The man put down his hands, raised his head and looked directly at the Grand Duke of Lombard, with a strange emotion in his tone: "Don't their examples attract your attention?"
Lumba did not answer the man in front of him.
He responded with the most direct action.
In Thales's eyes, Lumba suddenly raised his right arm and strangled the strange man's neck!