The serious-faced, gray-haired Earl of Lisban was sitting at the long table in the General Order Hall of the Sword District. He raised his head with a stern face and asked aloud: "Can you say it again?"
In front of him, a capable and strong middle-aged nobleman from the North had a solemn expression and bowed slightly.
This middle-aged nobleman was dressed in regular clothes, but every move he made carried a military demeanor that could not be shaken off even in the extreme cold.
"A soldier discovered it," Viscount Lesden, the head of the General Order Department and the chief garrison officer of the royal capital, narrowed his eyes: "The routine report sent back from the Palace of Heroes is very strange - the password at the city gate is not quite right.
right."
His face turned cold, and his eyes shone like sword blades: "It seems to have been tampered with, Mr. Prime Minister."
The Earl of Risban frowned.
As the Prime Minister who has served King Nun for many years, and the most trusted direct vassal of Dragon Sky City, Earl Lisban is always the last person to speak in the Royal Council, and his words often have the final say.
For example, a resolution was passed a month ago to allow the troublesome Prince of the Stars to come to Exeter.
Ever since King Nun personally handed him the ring that symbolized the Prime Minister's authority, in his decades-long political career, Earl of Risban has experienced countless ups and downs, and he can be said to have experienced a lot.
But at this moment, Lisban felt that everything he had experienced in the past two days was almost worth the first half of his life.
First, the king summoned the grand dukes to gather in a room. Risban stood in the Hall of Heroes with a frown, watching His Majesty Nunn make a request for a duel that was almost suicidal.
Later, when he saw King Nun getting stronger and stronger, he personally killed Perfit on the spot to avenge his second son and intimidate other grand dukes.
As a result, the troop dispatch plan that has been discussed for a long time by the king and the royal council will also be moved up the agenda.
But the disaster and Kilika that came at night awakened almost everyone in Longxiao City from their sweet dreams.
Immediately afterwards, the giant dragon that had not been seen for hundreds of years came again.
Then……
Then Lisban encountered the biggest problem in his life.
The king is missing.
Lisban had seen the bloody battle at the Thirty-Eight Watchtowers twenty years ago, experienced the most dangerous and severe cold sixteen years ago, received the bad news of Prince Suril's defeat in the Battle of White Mountain, and learned
The dangerous situation of the glacier orcs rioting, the tense situation in the Black Sand Territory where the Grand Duke died in battle, and the dangerous situation of insufficient supplies in the war with the stars, but none of them can compare to the current situation - the situation in Longxiao City
All kinds of strange things made him frightened and anxious.
"Yingling Palace? City Gate?" The Prime Minister only felt that there was one more thing in his mind.
But he seems to have vaguely caught something - it may be the answer to the question.
Lisban turned his head: "His Majesty is still not found? There is no news from the White Blade Guards either? Where is Nicolai?"
Viscount Leiden's face darkened when he heard this.
"No, there are only a few scattered white-blade guards who survived serious injuries while fighting the disaster. They don't know anything." Leiston shook his head: "Moreover, the rumors in the city are getting more and more popular."
Earl Lisban nodded and sighed.
"Rumors," the Prime Minister muttered.
Are there rumors about the Star Man assassinating His Majesty?
How can it be.
Lisban frowned.
Your Majesty just cooperated with that Prince of Stars last night to uncover the traitor from Da Kiln.
But……
"Where is the Prince of the Stars?"
"And His Majesty's granddaughter," Prime Minister Lisban raised his head and looked at Leiden: "His Majesty was also looking for them before, wasn't he?"
Viscount Lesden still shook his head: "Your Majesty gave this task to the darkroom... However, I haven't seen Ms. Kashan for a long time."
The veins on the back of Earl Lisban's hands tightened.
"What a bad premonition," he took a deep breath with a serious expression: "Longxiao City turned into chaos after the giant dragon appeared."
The Prime Minister raised his head: "Is there anything else unusual?"
"Yes," Viscount Lesden's eyes flashed: "The number of patrols."
At that moment, the eyes of the two senior officials moved at the same time.
"Go on." Earl Lisban said calmly.
"The chaos in the city has not ended yet, and the martial law around the Shield Zone has not been lifted. However," Viscount Leiston said cautiously: "I have two order officers reporting that they saw at least two patrols coming from the Shield Zone.
Come out."
"I have sent people to investigate." He said solemnly.
Lisban said nothing.
But the clues have been connected.
"The password of the city gate is not so easy to tamper with," the Prime Minister frowned: "Combined with this weird information..."
"Oh my God." His expression remained unchanged, but his tone was filled with uneasiness.
Prime Minister Lisban nodded, with a serious expression: "I'm afraid something happened to the first gate in front of the Palace of Heroes."
The chief defense officer clenched his fists.
"No way?" Lord Viscount exhaled in disbelief: "That's a soldier from the city gate! Behind him is the backup from the Palace of Heroes..."
Having said this, Leiden's eyebrows jumped again.
"There are four great dukes in the Palace of Heroes."
He murmured: "Could they join forces..."
"No, it's too early to draw a conclusion now," the Prime Minister waved his hand, a deep suspicion welling up in his heart: "But there is only one thing that is certain."
"We can no longer sit here and wait until there is news from His Majesty," Lisban raised his head with sharp eyes: "At least the four Grand Dukes must be informed."
Leiden frowned: "If they are really behind the scenes..."
"Then it's time for them to show their flaws," Lisban clenched his fists, feeling confused: "I hope your majesty is safe and sound, but once..."
He didn't say any more.
But Leisden knew the Prime Minister's worries.
Once something changes in Longxiao City, can they still detain or even kill the four Grand Dukes?
Then I'm afraid...
They truly became Exeter's sinners.
"What are you going to do?" Viscount Lesden paused for a moment, looking worried: "We cannot directly recruit militia without the king's warrant."
"Or do you want to recruit your own troops? Or we can write a letter in person and summon the earls outside the city?"
Lisban said nothing.
When the king was missing, an earl and viscount privately led troops - and even called on the vassals to lead troops and entered the royal capital.
Both of them knew what this decision meant.
"No."
"This is both inconsistent with practice and too time-consuming."
Earl Lisban stood up and shook his head: "I have a feeling that by then, I'm afraid it will be too late."
"Abandon the usual communication methods, release the messenger crows, and contact the Palace of Heroes - let's see the reaction of the grand dukes."
His pupils shrank slightly: "In addition, directly gather the troops from the General Order Department and gather the existing patrol teams."
"We took our existing troops and rushed directly to the city gate."
"Let's see who is doing this."
No matter the coward of the stars.
Or someone else,
Prime Minister Lisban thought to himself.
————
Nicolai frowned seriously.
Kashan smiled gently again.
Thales looked puzzled.
The next second, the Scarlet Witch gently came forward to Nicolai's ear and said something.
"That... weird..."
The voice was too low - Thales frowned: the Scarlet Witch was speaking in a breathy voice and he couldn't hear clearly.
But this did not prevent him from suddenly being shocked when he saw Nicolai's back.
"His...sure...is it?" Kashan's voice was broken.
Thales felt as if there were countless ants crawling through his heart - it felt like he could only hear half of this kind of words...
Really annoying!
Nicolai stiffened for a moment.
Then the Fallen Starman sighed, leaned over to the Scarlet Witch's ear, and said something in the same breathy voice.
"He still has...blood..."
Thales sighed.
He still heard nothing.
Compared with Thales who could eavesdrop, the people standing far away from the two of them had another anxiety in their hearts: they felt anxious after seeing it, but they did not dare to act rashly.
"Are they going to drink?" Cohen mocked, raising his eyebrows.
But as soon as he finished speaking, the owner of the dark room and the white blade ended their conversation.
Nicolai turned around and walked toward the others absentmindedly.
The Scarlet Witch raised her head and smiled at the group of them.
Then she bowed slightly, turned around and left the cave entrance.
Seeing the two people separated, Thales had unanswerable questions in his heart.
what happened?
The White Blade Guards and the Dark Room, what are they...
At that moment, whether it was Raphael, Miranda, Cohen, Wyatt, Rolf or even the other White Blade Guards, they all looked at the Fallen Star with confused expressions.
But Nicolai just looked stunned.
There are not many meteorites like this - Thales thought to himself.
"What happened?" Thales couldn't help but asked: "Are they going to trap us here?"
Nicolai suddenly came back to his senses.
"Let's go," Meteorite raised his head and scanned everyone: "We are safe."
"The dark room has been evacuated," he said in a calm tone, lost in thought, "but the people from the Black Sand Territory, for some unknown reason, did not show up."
Raphael frowned and stepped forward.
"Why did she leave?" The young man from the secret department carefully observed the surroundings and secretly held the hilt of the sword: "Where is Kaslan?"
Nicolai sneered unconsciously.
"She let us go."
Meteorite shook his head: "As for Kaslan... I don't know."
Thales was slightly startled.
Let us go?
He stared blankly at the empty cave entrance and blinked, as if he couldn't believe it.
How can it be?
Cohen slapped his head with a serious expression: "Oh, she let us go..."
But the next moment, the vigilance officer's expression changed drastically.
"What!" He opened his mouth wide with an exaggerated expression: "Let us go?"
Cohen's eyes widened: "What did you do?"
Nicolai raised his head and forced a disdainful smile.
"Show her my handsome face," he looked at Cohen and mocked coldly, "and she will soften."
Cohen blinked in confusion and looked at Miranda and Raphael as if asking for help.
Miranda raised her eyebrows.
"You can't tell a joke, my lord,"
Miranda sighed: "You don't have to force yourself."
Nicolai relaxed his smile and snorted coldly.
Thales pursed his lips, looked at Raphael's thoughtful expression, and asked, "What did you tell her?"
Nicolai raised his head and looked outside the cave entrance, looking at the sky in the north.
He exhaled with an expressionless expression.
The expression is subtle and complex.
"Deal," Meteorite said slowly, "We made a deal."
"I paid a bargaining chip," he murmured in a low voice, "to the darkroom in exchange for our freedom."
Thales was horrified.
Chips?
"What chips?"
What did he, Nicolai, say to the Scarlet Witch?
What kind of price can make Darkroom give up the heir to the stars and the heir to the north...
Give up the Walton bloodline of Longxiao City?
But Nicolai just shook his head: "It's a big bargaining chip."
A bargaining chip that he didn't know was good or bad.
Nicolai thought in confusion.
Thales and the others looked at each other in silence.