In front of Lumba who lost his temper, Archduke Lecco suddenly spoke up.
His words attracted everyone's attention.
"As an ally under the oath of the hand, you should have thought about this when you used the example of the stars to convince us, right?" The old Grand Duke said lightly: "Is it your ally, a stepping stone or a victim?"
Lumba looked up suddenly!
"This is our only chance! When the Kingdom of Stars recovers and becomes stronger and stronger..." Duke Black Sand said angrily: "Are you just going to watch Exeter gradually sink and wait for death?"
"In your eyes, Exeter is always inferior to yourselves, right?"
At this moment.
"Charman Lumba," the Grand Duke of Qiyuan City, Kurikun Roni suddenly said: "What exactly is Exter?"
Lumba was slightly startled.
"More than six hundred years ago, right here, in the banquet hall above our heads, the legendary 'Nine Knights', including your ancestors and me, who returned from bloodshed, raised the hero Nekaru above their heads and jointly respected him as king.
, and this is how the Kingdom of Exeter was born." Ronnie raised his right hand and pointed to the stone carving of Dragon Spear in the Cloud above his head.
Grand Duke Olesiu's expression changed.
Thelma behind Thales heard these histories, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
"After the death of the hero, when the Kingdom of Stars became stronger and stronger, and the disasters of the empire were about to come back again, the ten lords of the North, who were working in their own way and full of contradictions, witnessed by the Queen of the Sky, wrote an oath of alliance in front of Nekaru's tombstone, abandoning their past grudges.
, made an oath of co-governance among the ten Grand Dukes," Grand Duke Ronnie said coldly: "This is the first time that we, in the name of the Kingdom of Exeter, are as close as brothers in front of the precarious Cold Castle, fighting side by side, blocking it.'
Black Eyed John's Army of Stars!"
Lumba looked at Grand Duke Ronnie in disbelief, and then looked at the others who were thoughtful.
Thales sighed slightly.
War creates countries, and countries create wars.
"The reason why we established the Kingdom of Exeter is to protect what we cherish in this chaotic world, to protect our family, our blood, our glory, to trust us, to be loyal to our territory and people, to protect
The creed and spirit we protect forever!”
"We are Exeter!" Ronnie punched his chest hard, and the emblem of the Knights Code on his shoulder trembled slightly: "Only those of us who protect it and recognize its existence first, Exeter
Only then will the special kingdom exist!”
"For the sake of that illusory so-called 'Exter' in your mouth, we have to sacrifice even the things we once swore to protect to the death, we have to pay, and we have to abandon them like worn-out shoes," Ronnie sighed fiercely:
"Then the Kingdom of Exeter has lost the meaning of its original existence. What is left of it?"
"It's just another toy of tyrants and ****, another ancient empire forcibly gathered under violence and oppression, forcing its people to identify with themselves and sacrifice in vain for an empire that actually has nothing to do with them."
Ronnie gave Lumba a disgusted look.
"Tell this to the people of the Stars," Lombard retorted fiercely: "When they escort you or your descendants to the guillotine!"
"Be sent to the guillotine by them, or be sent to the guillotine by you," Ronnie also sharply countered: "To be honest, I can't see which is worse."
Lumba suddenly raised his hand and pointed at Thales!
The prince was slightly startled.
"But everything this boy said, the decline, the seizure of power, the so-called end of change for us, none of it has happened yet!" He gritted his teeth and said, "Are you here worrying about the future of your great-grandson?"
"Everyone!"
Lumba took a deep breath.
"Even if the things we worry about happen, as long as we work together, I believe we will be able to find a way to overcome them. Will we, the princes, still turn a blind eye to the problems before us?"
The Grand Duke of Black Sand seemed to have recovered from his previous impulse. He stared at each Grand Duke seriously: "But before that, we must take measures against our close enemies and centuries-old enemies. They are gearing up.
Isn't it even more terrifying to gradually regain your strength?"
"As for other things, whether I have ambitions, whether I want to be disadvantageous to you, or whether I want to tear up the oath of co-governance, we can talk about it slowly."
Trudida and Oresio, the two southern archdukes of the neighboring stars, looked at each other and thought for a moment.
Thales felt anxious.
"His Excellency the Grand Duke of Black Sand!"
Thales couldn't help but speak loudly, attracting everyone's attention!
"There are three fallacies in your words." Thales said coldly.
Lumba's expression was stifled.
The princes turned to the prince one after another.
"Go on, Your Highness of the Stars," Trudida tugged at his beard, "What do you have to say?"
Thales let out a breath, rubbed his face, and sorted out his thoughts: "First, you compare the threat of the stars with the trap in your proposal."
Everyone frowned slightly.
"Your Excellencies, Grand Dukes."
"When he told you the examples of the stars and what Mindis III and his successors had done in more than a hundred years?" Thales took a deep breath and said solemnly: "You
One should indeed feel deep fear."
Lumba was stunned for a moment, not understanding why he wanted to support his conclusion.
"But this fear does not come from the fear of the enemy country," Thales asked and answered himself before the archdukes asked questions, and changed the subject: "It comes from pure vigilance and panic from the heart."
He took a step forward, hung the dagger back on his waist, and showed the heaviest and gloomiest expression the prince had ever known.
"This is no longer the tired struggle plot in knight novels, it is no longer the short-sighted political tactics of brain-dead nobles going back and forth to assassinate, frame up, marry, fight for land, fight, etc." Thales whispered.
Tao, trying to enhance the atmosphere with a medium tone.
Trudida narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue: "Are you short-sighted?"
Archduke Olesiu snorted dissatisfiedly.
"I don't mean to offend, but," Thales gritted his teeth: "But what the wise king did is no longer in the above category."
He raised his head: "It's the ruler sitting on the throne. He is the one who silently strangles the throats of the vassals, and then slowly and weakly but never stops, step by step, bit by bit, inch by inch.
Hold tight to that hand of power."
The princes listened quietly.
"He will smile, and use the gradually spreading but unstoppable gentle flood to drown the status, power, wealth, and privileges of the vassals, and suffocate the famous lords who have overwhelming power for a while, one by one, one family at a time, all in the long river of history.
It will be destroyed by ashes and will never stand up again."
"Power flows quietly and slowly in his chess game, and history rolls forward menacingly between his fingers." Thales imagined the amiable middle-aged king in the portrait, and suddenly felt a shudder in his heart.
a feeling of.
"Such a journey, such a change, such a threat, once it begins, whether you realize it or not, it is no longer within the control of the lords. It is no longer the struggle and contradiction you are familiar with," Thales said with difficulty.
The ground opened his mouth:
"Even if you place 10,000 ultimate swordsmen in the palace, even if you build a high iron wall that reaches into the clouds in the city, even if you dig a moat that stretches for hundreds of miles outside the city, even if you win the battle on the battlefield
Hundreds and thousands of battles handed down from generation to generation, even if you use rare wisdom and strategies to defeat countless powerful and terrifying enemies, even if you win fame and prestige that will last forever, even if the legendary dragons and disasters guard you day and night.
On the pillow..."
"There is nothing that can be done to stop this general trend, and it is impossible to prevent your destined decline and defeat."
The expressions of the princes became solemn.
Lumba gritted his teeth.
"In the face of it, no matter how big, powerful, or boundless the power is, it's just a joke."
"So, the scary thing is not the threat, but that you clearly know where the threat is," Thales said sadly: "But you are still powerless and can only sit back and wait for destruction."
The expressions of the princes all changed.
"Once you think about this kind of threat happening behind you, will you still agree to Lumba and join hands with him to go down such a road?"
"That's enough," Lombard said decisively, interrupting Thales with an angry look on his face: "I've had enough of your baseless clamor and confusion, kid."
He strode towards Thales.
The prince was startled, and Thelma's face turned pale.
But Lumba had only walked halfway when Archduke Ronnie appeared in front of Thales.
"Back off, Rumba," Ronnie knocked on the hilt of the sword at his waist, with a cold look on his face: "I have never competed with you, but I am happy to give it a try."
Lumba's expression stiffened.
"People from the North," Grand Duke Lecco said softly, "don't act like a low-level gangster who just draws his sword and kills the whole family just to vent his hatred."
Thales then took a deep breath to relieve his tension.
"Your second fallacy, Rumba," Thales forced himself to continue: "Do you think what I said is unfounded?"
"No," Thales said forcefully: "The Star Kingdom is the best example."
The eyes of the princes all condensed.
"Everyone, how did Lumba exaggerate the power and strength of Xingchen to you, and exaggerate our threat?" Thales turned around, intentionally or unintentionally pulling Thelma to the other grand dukes, "Before he
In the depiction, has the Kingdom of Stars turned into a giant dragon that is only one step away from rising into the sky?"
"I don't know how much you know about the stars, but what I'm going to tell you next is the news that only circulates among the Guardian Duke and the Imperial Earl, that is, the six wealthy families and the thirteen noble families. It may be the truth, or it may be a rumor.
"
"On the day I left Yongxing City and embarked on this ill-fated journey," Thales gritted his teeth facing the looks of several grand dukes, "an unexpected person came to me and told me...
"
The figure of the one-eyed dragon Duke appeared in front of Thales.
"In the Kingdom of Stars, Cullen of the East China Sea Territory and Sun Sword and Shield has become a tortoise, submissive to the royal family; Falkenhausz of the West Wasteland Territory relies on the western front, struggling to support the four-eyed skull flag; the South Coast Territory
, Iris Kevin Deere's genealogy is unstable, and two baronies were confiscated by the royal family a few days ago; the Blade Territory, and the Duchess of Teback of the Blood Moon have been reduced to the point where they cannot survive without the royal family; the Cliff Territory
The giant-horned deer was cornered and had to gear up to try to fight back."
The expressions of the princes changed, including surprise, deep thought, doubt, and various emotions.
"And the northern border that you are most familiar with, the imperial family that has been at odds with Lombard for generations, the Arend of White Eagle, has already been reduced to a vassal of the royal family under the heavy blow of the royal power after the conspiracy was exposed."
"These are only the six most prestigious wealthy families. What happened to the thirteen noble families below and the traditional nobles below them when their power and status were deprived of them?"
"You want evidence? The stars are your evidence!" Thales shouted: "Look at our current situation! The chaos at the state meeting, do you think it was just an act?"
Lumba closed his eyes and clenched his fists.
"However, this is far from the end," Thales looked at the expressions of the grand dukes and said seriously: "They, the deprived people, will not give up and wait for death, but will secretly wait for opportunities to fight back.
Does Lund just want the throne on a whim?"
He took a step forward, opened the clothes on his chest, revealing the scar burned by Quaid, and gritted his teeth and said: "Since I was found, I have experienced countless assassinations and conspiracies, big and small. I even slept in Fuxing
The faint tension and blood can be smelled in the palace!"
Thelma covered her mouth and looked at the scar on his chest in surprise.
Trudida whistled, and Olesio crossed his arms.
Grand Duke Lecco looked serious.
"The nineteen nobles are just representatives of them. This dissatisfaction will not be limited to the great vassals and great nobles, but will spread to the whole country. All the people affected will become uncontrollable riots and dissatisfaction."
"The bloody struggle of this kind has never ended. It is just dormant quietly, and will even erupt again one day until the final victory or defeat is decided." Thales said coldly.
"Mindis III's chess game has reached its climax after more than a hundred years," the prince turned his head and said firmly: "And I can tell you with certainty: the Kingdom of Stars is at its darkest moment and on the most dangerous edge.
The contradiction between the new order and the old blood..."
Having said this, Tails paused and his eyes narrowed.
A terrible thought suddenly came to his mind.
The darkest...
The most dangerous...
New order.
old blood.
At that moment, Thales opened his mouth with shock on his face.
His hands were shaking slightly.
No way?
"What's wrong?" Olesiu asked impatiently: "Is it stuck?"
Under Selma's pull, the prince came back to his senses, but he still could not calm down the panic in his heart.
But he still tried his best to contain his emotions and pursed his lips.
"This is your third fallacy, Lumba," Thales suppressed the doubts in his heart and spoke out with difficulty: "You think that the chaos and weakness of the stars are only temporary. Once we recover, we can return to our peak.
Can you be invincible in the West Continent?”
"No."
"Just as there is never a change without cost," Taylor gasped, "there is never a change without risk."
"The decline of the nobles is the price, and their counterattack is the risk faced by the stars."
Speaking of this moment, the expressions of the princes were extremely exciting, and even Lombard frowned.
"The current weakness and turmoil of the stars are not accidental, but inevitable after embarking on this path," Thales reasoned as he spoke, and was shocked by his new guess: "This is what the wise king left for the stars.
thing."
His face was pale and he was in a daze, remembering the words left by the one-eyed dragon.
Thelma looked at him worriedly.
"I don't know how long the stars can last, I don't know where this country will go, and I don't know what kind of results it will usher in," the prince said, speaking sincerely and truly without any purpose for the first time.
He opened his mouth and said: "Is it broken into pieces, or is it the end of all hardships and the joy of it."
"I only know that in this torrent, no matter I or King Kessel, no matter whether it is the six powerful families or the thirteen famous families, they are all trembling and shaking."
That’s all.
Regardless of whether it was true or not, Thales convinced himself, at least...
It is enough to at least convince them and sway them.
"And in this rapid, the biggest and most terrifying wave..." Thales gritted his teeth and pressed his hand on his chest.
There was a map given to him by King Nun.
"You should have heard about it."
The princes all looked at each other with confusion in their eyes.
"That's right," Thales breathed painfully in front of the Grand Dukes, and said the answer he just guessed through countless memories and clues:
"It was a tragedy in which everyone lost and there were almost no winners."
In front of Thales's eyes, the Bright Star Tomb of Fuxing Palace, with its numerous large and small stone pots and urns, appeared, and the young duke of the Teback family appeared. In the astonished eyes of the grand dukes, she unconsciously whispered: