In the Palace of Heroes and the Hall of Heroes, the four Grand Dukes looked at each other.
"He is in trouble, otherwise he wouldn't be in such a hurry," Archduke Ronnie frowned as he watched Charmaine Lombard walk out of the hall alone: "Probably the Prime Minister of Lisban."
Grand Duke Trudida snorted.
His hurriedly rubbing hands betrayed his mood, and he exhaled harshly.
"That's not the problem now," the Grand Duke of the Reconstruction Tower's voice was as sharp and strange as ever. Trudida pouted at Lumba's retreating back: "You know - how to choose?"
He looked at the other grand dukes with a serious face.
Ronnie sighed, with a doubtful expression on his face: "Do you believe what he said?"
"The Star People are...different?"
Ronnie clenched his fists unconsciously.
The princes did not speak.
Only Archduke Olesiu stood by the brazier and shook his head.
"I don't know, Kulikun, I really don't know," the bearded Grand Duke looked worried: "But I think there is one thing we all know."
The three Grand Dukes all looked at him.
Rebien Alessio raised his head and walked slowly to them.
At that moment, his heart was extremely heavy.
"Within ten or ten years of our turmoil due to the king's death," the voice of the Grand Duke of Welland was full of inexplicable strength: "The service-age population of the stars will return to the pre-war level, no matter what
Whether it is farming, animal husbandry or commerce, they will all regain their strength."
The princes moved slightly.
"In the past, it was just another fight."
"But what Rumba just said..." Olesiu shook his head slowly, his eyes serious: "You all heard it."
Trudida's eyes lit up and she snapped her fingers: "So?"
Archduke Ronnie's snort came from the side, interrupting them.
"I don't know if you have noticed," the long-haired Archduke Ronnie glanced at the other three people: "But it seems that after Rumba finished telling his story, you have forgotten Exeter's pride and creed, and even more
To forget the fact that he committed regicide?"
He shook his head slightly: "This is not what we agreed."
Grand Duke Lecco, who had not spoken for a long time, lightly tapped the table.
"Please believe me, Kulikun, and believe in my respect for Exeter," the old Grand Duke raised his head, and he said slowly but seriously: "But even if only one percent of what Charmaine Lombard said is true,
Really, I'm not willing to take the risk of downplaying the potential danger - even if it falls on our children and grandchildren."
The three princes looked tense.
"The purpose of punishing Lumba is to maintain the balance and tacit understanding of Exeter and ensure that the rights of each of our families are not infringed," Lecco said calmly: "But if one day, Exeter is no longer strong, foreign enemies can easily
When they tear through our defense line and set foot on our territory..."
He slowly frowned and clasped his hands tighter and tighter.
"The family we work hard to protect and maintain, the bloodline that we are dedicated to continuing and honoring..."
"The descendants and descendants that we have worked hard to cultivate, the territory that we have worked hard to manage..."
"What will happen to them?"
All the princes were silent.
Trudida snorted: "Do you still expect the Star People to retain our rights and identity like their imperial ancestors, allowing us to continue to rule this land as lords?"
Ronnie said nothing.
"Anyway, it won't be Olesiu," Archduke Olesiu added coldly: "Hundreds of years ago, Tormund almost killed us, and then he established the Olesiu family on the land and bones.
The Kingdom of Stars."
Silence again.
But everyone knew they had to make a decision.
"Let's put it this way, I started to consider Lumba's proposal," Trudida turned around, spread out her hands, raised her eyebrows, and said tentatively: "But after I think about it - in case, I am
Just in case... I don't want to find an excuse to deceive you and sneak out to find Lumba to make an agreement alone, so I put my words up front."
He shook his head and looked at the other three people: "What do you say?"
Olesiu shook his head in his heart: Cunning guy, talking is like walking on a mountain road.
"Do you know what this decision means?" Archduke Ronnie's eyes became sharper and sharper, and he said coldly: "Where do you put our common king?"
"I don't know where he is, but I'm sure that his soul and body are not together," Trudida shrugged and frowned:
"You must admit, Lombard's offer is tempting."
Ronnie looked at him disdainfully: "The part that divides the land, or the part that divides the stars?"
Trudida blinked and smiled slightly: "It's all."
Lecco and Olesiu both pursed their lips tightly and did not answer.
A few seconds later, Archduke Olesiu raised his head with a solemn expression: "I participated in that war, and I have also seen how the Star People manage the city - I have never thought as much as Lumba before."
"Until now."
He glanced at the others with great solemnity: "And the Weiland Territory and the Olesiu family are too close to the stars."
Although not as good as Rudida, Oresio's hint is obvious enough.
Ronnie frowned.
Grand Duke Lecco sighed deeply.
"Very good," the old man said tiredly, and he turned to Ronnie: "I understand what you are thinking, but I think the existence of Lomba is still within our control, and we can even postpone it, but the threat of the stars...
…”
He paused.
"The unruly Lumba and the increasingly powerful Kingdom of Stars," Grand Duke Lecco said slowly, "Who would we rather choose as our opponent?"
The three Grand Dukes all looked at Ronnie with complicated expressions.
Ronnie stared intently at the soul-killing gun rack above the fireplace behind the rectangular table.
A few seconds later.
"Before this, you have to know," Grand Duke Kurikun Roni of Qiyuan City finally spoke slowly. He looked at the others with sharp eyes: "No matter what, I will not choose Lumba as the king."
Ronnie shook his head decisively: "No way."
"Very good," Trudida breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head: "Neither can I."
Several Grand Dukes looked at each other, exchanging mysterious and subtle emotions.
After a few seconds, they all laughed in unison.
The consensus among the princes has been reached in the implicit words that have not been stated clearly.
But their laughter slowly stopped.
The sound of Rumba's footsteps came from outside the hall.
"It seems that your consideration has come to fruition." Charmaine Lombard's voice sounded in the hall.
The four Grand Dukes all turned to the Grand Duke of Black Sand.
Lumba's steps were still steady and his posture was still strong, but the vicissitudes of life on his face only became more profound.
"Is there anything we should know?" Archduke Lecco narrowed his eyes.
Lumba came to the rectangular table, looked at his colleagues, and nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"Lisban exceeded my expectations," the Duke of Black Sand sighed: "His people have already begun to attack the city gate."
The expressions on the faces of the several princes all tightened.
Before the change, this news was like rain from heaven to them.
but now……
"So, before facing him," Lomba's eyes became extremely sharp: "We must make a decision."
He stared at the four Grand Dukes coldly, but this time, his momentum was unprecedentedly powerful and compelling.
"You and I will both lose here," Rumba gritted his teeth:
"Or build your new foundation in Longxiao City and save Exeter?"
silence.
The suffocating silence lasted much longer than before.
The eyes of the princes met countless times in the air.
finally.
Grand Duke Lecco nodded slightly.
"Charmaine," the old Grand Duke turned to Lombard tremblingly, with wisdom and vigilance flashing in his eyes: "First of all, you have to understand one thing."
Lumba narrowed his eyes.
The other princes stared at Lumba coldly.
Grand Duke Lecco stood up slowly and walked to the center of the hall.
The old man slowly stretched out his hand, raised his palm to his chest, and said calmly: "This is all for Exter."
"Rogers, Lecco." Archduke Lecco said calmly.
There was a slight fluctuation in Lumba's eyes when he looked at Leko.
But his left hand pressed the sword at his waist, and the fluctuation immediately turned into determination and fierceness.
"Of course." Charmaine Lombard strode forward with a solemn face.
"Charmaine Lombard."
Grand Duke Heisha stretched out his right hand and grabbed Grand Duke Leko's palm.
His tone left no room for doubt:
"For Exeter."
As the eyes of the two Grand Dukes met, the two clasped palms shook vigorously in the air.
According to the ancient rituals of the North, the alliance was concluded with an oath on the palm of the hand.
Grand Duke Trudida raised his eyebrows slightly and walked between the two of them:
"Perseus Trudida."
"For Longxiao City..."
When the others heard this place name, they couldn't help but frowned.
Trudida smiled softly, blinked, and added meaningfully: "...with Exter."
He pressed his palms against the clasped hands of the first two.
Lumba sneered.
Olesiu sighed deeply and walked to the opposite side of Trudida.
His face became extremely serious.
"Rebien Alessio."
"For survival."
Olesio nodded briefly and decisively to the others, clasped his right palm, and joined the three in their palm oath.
The four Grand Dukes held their palms tightly and looked at the only person left in the field.
Grand Duke Ronnie pursed his lips and stared at the ground.
One second.
Two seconds.
Just when Trudida started to worry, Grand Duke Ronnie suddenly threw off his cloak, walked to Lumba's side, and looked at Grand Duke Black Sand.
Lumba looked back at him without flinching.
Ronnie looked away and glanced at the others.
The next second, Duke Qiyuancheng stretched out his hand without hesitation and grabbed the palms of the four people.
"Kulikun Roni."
He spoke softly with deep meaning:
"For the North."
Black Sand Territory, Guard City, Rebuilding Tower, Weilan Territory, Qiyuan City.
The covenant of the five princes was thus concluded.
————
On the upper floor of the Hall of Heroes, in a remote corridor, soldiers from the Black Sand Territory were closely guarding the surroundings, leaving the open space in the middle for the commander and the prisoners.
"You know, after that conversation in the snow, I have been paying close attention to you—Mr. Deputy Ambassador, Lord Niemann."
Viscount Cambida from the Black Sand Territory looked at Putilai as a prisoner in front of him and sighed: "I asked some friends to investigate you."
Putilai frowned slightly: "Then what did you find out?"
Viscount Cambida approached the bound Putilai and smiled slightly.
"Quite a few," the Viscount of Menton City nodded slowly: "As an attendant to Prince Midir, you are far from being as simple as you appear on the surface."
Putilai narrowed his eyes: "For example?"
"The people in the dark room don't know much about your system. They always regard you as a servant of Prince Midir." Cambida snorted lightly: "They don't know much about what happened in the Foreign Affairs Department after you left the palace.
care."
"So I focused on investigating your whereabouts during this period after you left the palace."
Putilai's face moved slightly.
"Riordan twenty-four years ago..." Cambida said calmly.
Putilai frowned.
But Cambida continues:
"Changyin City twenty-two years ago, Steel City nineteen years ago, Qilin Capital fifteen years ago, Golden Corridor fourteen years ago, Broken Dragon Fortress twelve years ago, Crystal Palace ten years ago
Bicheng, the ruins of five years ago," Viscount Cambida smiled and counted out the place names one by one, happily saying:
"You have been to so many places."
Putilai looked solemnly at the viscount in front of him and sighed slightly.
"The Foreign Affairs Department has a lot of affairs," he said simply.
Cambida shrugged.
"I'm afraid it's not just that there are a lot of things," the Viscount walked behind him and shook his head: "Do you want me to remind you?"
Putilai said nothing.
Cambida began to pace around him, speaking as he walked.
"Twenty-four years ago, there was the battle for the succession of the Hamble royal family, twenty-two years ago, Anrenzo's rebellion, nineteen years ago, the feud between the Holy Tree Court and the King's Court, fifteen years ago, Yao
Fourteen years ago when the king ascended the throne, the civil war of the Freedom Alliance swept through the surrounding areas. Needless to mention the Bloody Year, there was also the shark attack incident ten years ago and the Desert War five years ago."
Like just now, Cambida said several nouns.
The Viscount stopped in front of Putilai and stopped narrating to look at Putilai's face at leisure.
But Putilai just stared at the other party without saying a word.
"The attendant to the eldest son of King Midir, the former second-class civil servant of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the former Viscount, Lord Putilai Niman." Cambida exhaled slowly and narrowed his eyes:
"It seems that wherever the war is, you are there?"
Putilai frowned slightly: "Really? I don't even remember."
"Or..." Viscount Cambida's eyes changed, and the conversation changed.
"Where have you been?" Cambida raised the corners of his lips: "Where is the war?"
Putilai burst into laughter.
"You really have a sense of humor," Mr. Deputy Envoy shook his head and said with a smile: "According to you, the current chaos in Longxiao City is also because of my coming?"
Cambida's expression changed.
A watertight guy.
"You don't look nervous?" The Viscount's tone turned cold: "Your Excellency."
Putilai raised his eyebrows: "Should I be nervous?"
Cambida sneered.
He turned around and glanced at the surrounding decorations, taking in the rough and messy style of the Palace of Heroes at a glance: "I know that you divided your troops into multiple groups to try to distract us and cover a key step in the complex palace -
—Maybe you are one of them."
Putilai narrowed his eyes and nodded seriously.
"And you have dealt with it very well, His Excellency Viscount Cambida," the deputy envoy said helplessly: "You have neither been easily mobilized by us nor rigidly adhered to it. Instead, you have dispatched a small number of elites accordingly and used continuous harassment.
Impede our approach."
Kambida suddenly turned around, his eyes like arrows, shooting at Putilai.
"Every road leading to the Hall of Heroes, up and down the six floors, is heavily guarded by our troops," Canbida's words became cold and decisive: "We know every secret passage in the Palace of Heroes, even the windows and lookouts.
The station is also being watched - I know you have a flying superpower, believe me, our crossbowmen will impress him outside the window."
Cambida coldly asserted:
"Whether it's Nicolai or whoever it is, even if the wrath of the kingdom comes here, you can't get close to the hall at all and you can't do anything against the Grand Duke."
Putilai looked into his eyes, with intriguing meaning in his eyes: "Really?"
Cambida frowned.
Why.
Why is he still so confident?
Cambida gritted his teeth and asked the biggest doubt in his heart: "Why did you throw yourself into a trap?"
Putilai let out a long sigh.
"Because I'm not at ease," the deputy envoy said calmly, "I want to make the final confirmation - especially here."
Cambida's heart moved: "Confirm what?"
Putilai blinked and showed a sly expression.
"Make sure you are not afraid of the cold and have not carried firewood inside."
Cambida's expression changed.
Putilai smiled slightly.
The next second, Cambida's face turned extremely pale. He turned around suddenly and asked one of his subordinates: "Have the fireplace in the Hall of Heroes and the chimney leading to the top floor been inspected?"
Putilai raised his eyebrows: "Oh, you react so quickly."
Cambida's subordinates came to him and frowned: "We have all checked. In order to prevent assassins, there is a metal grid on each floor of the chimney of the Palace of Heroes. Normal people cannot pass through it."
He shook his head: "If they try to sneak into the hall from there, they will have to break through at least six grids, and the movement will definitely be detected by us..."
At that moment, Cambida felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
"The grid, normal people... can't pass it?"
Kambida turned to Putilai with difficulty, his expression ugly: "That prince, that boy..."
"Where is he?"
————
In the Hall of Heroes, the five princes clasped their hands, looked into each other's eyes, and nodded slightly.
"Very good," Lumba looked at the other four people with firm eyes: "This is the first step towards our sincere unity."
"It's time to explain to our Prime Minister the 'truth' about the king's death."
"From today on, the Kingdom of Exeter will open a new chapter."
The four princes looked stern.
At this moment.
"Boom!" A strange noise suddenly came from the hall.
"Damn, the rope is not long enough..." A childish voice rang:
"This is the last one...get over here...ah!"
The five princes were slightly startled.
"Clang!" A strange crashing sound.
Before the five Grand Dukes could react, on the other side of the rectangular table, in the large fireplace under the soul-killing gun rack, a black ball was suddenly thrown down - a ball?
Large amounts of dust were stirred up.
The five princes all turned their heads and were startled at the same time.
In the swirling dust, a small, coke-like ball stretched out its limbs and stood up suddenly.
Amidst the violent coughing, "Round Ball" waved his hands desperately, trotting away and escaping from the dust damage range of the fireplace: "Cough cough——"
The "round ball" fell on the edge of the rectangular table and barely escaped the attack of dust.
The five Grand Dukes still held each other's palms and looked at the small black "ball" in surprise.
It stood up with a curse, pulled off a piece of black cloth from its dark face, revealing the white lower half of its face.
It coughed twice more, then carefully folded the black cloth and stuffed it into its dark pocket.
"Ah, Merry Christmas - bah bah bah - hello to you," Yuanqiu raised his charred head, wiped away the charcoal blackness on his face, and showed his big white teeth to them, "Dude, I'm sorry, chimney
The grid inside is a bit narrow.”
The five Grand Dukes slowly released each other's palms and looked at this little uninvited guest in disbelief.
There was suppressed anger on Rumba's face, Olesio was extremely shocked, Trudida was thoughtful, Lecco frowned, and Ronnie's eyes were cold.
"Do you mind if I join?"
The boy, whose face was covered with dust and bottomless black, smiled at the five grand dukes who had just finished their oath but were stunned.
While wiping the charcoal ash from his face, he extended his right palm in a similar manner: