"Don't worry, everyone else in the team won't be back tonight due to various things."
Kuai Sheng lay carelessly on the bed, shaking his wrist that was sore from the fierce fight just now, and said:
"My guess is that Dean lured them away on purpose, and the target was you."
A broken animal oil lamp illuminated the mercenaries' hut. Dean's body had already been covered with a coarse cloth and was lying quietly on the ground, while Thales was sitting cross-legged on the ground, leaning against the corner, without losing his vigilance.
Looking at the comfortable fast rope on the bed.
After a long while, after finally clearing his mind, Thales spoke softly:
"What's going on? Why, why are you here..."
"What's going on?" Kuaisheng put his hands on the back of his head and looked at the mottled ceiling: "That's what you see."
"I always thought that except for some old people in Longxiao City, no one would know that I was alive."
Kuai Rope pursed his lips towards the human body covered with coarse cloth:
"Until this guy shows up."
His tone was still relaxed, as if it was a sunny day without haze.
"The darkroom is always permeable, right?"
"Neither my father nor Suril liked Ms. Kashan, so I also stayed away from her."
Thales glanced at Dean on the ground.
He clenched his fists subconsciously.
"I don't understand," he turned to Quick Rope and asked his biggest doubt: "Your hair color, your Camus accent, and your age..."
Quick Rope burst out laughing.
"You know, Camas is a magical place, with different city-states, diverse races, and strange customs," the former prince sighed:
"On the route they opened, the Zante Islands in the southwest of the mainland produce a magical dye. The local tribes use it to dye their hair and even apply makeup. It will not fall off for a month. I only need to worry about the roots of my hair.
…”
Thales frowned as he watched the fast rope twisting his red hair.
"As for accent and age..."
"Perhaps you haven't noticed it yourself, Prince of the Stars," Quick Rope turned his head sideways and smiled at Thales: "But it sounds to me that you, who have been in the north for six years, now have a full Northland accent, and
You look far less than a simple fourteen-year-old boy."
He arched his shoulders.
Thales lowered his head in silence.
"Is it all fake?"
Prince Xingchen asked in a sad mood: "From the beginning of the great desert, that Kuai Rope told jokes, joked with everyone, fought for the rights and interests of his dead companions, and even 'can't write' Kuai Rope... you
Have you been acting?"
Kuaisheng's face darkened.
"No," he put his hands on his hands expressionlessly, "it's not entirely false."
"You know, when a pampered and frustrated prince walks out of the castle, the first thing he discovers is that the outside world is not that beautiful."
The inferior lights slowly dimmed, and the room became dark again.
Thales remained motionless.
"So much so, that on the first afternoon when that idiot prince arrived in Camas and the 'City of Thousand Sails' Waril State, he was defrauded of all his remaining savings. By the way, the three hundred people who crossed the black path
The gold coins were so ridiculously expensive that he had to sell himself to a long-distance ship and embark on a maiden voyage that he had never dreamed of, opening an unprecedented chapter in his life."
Kuaisheng said blankly: "In six years, he abandoned a lot and learned a lot."
At this point, Quick Rope snorted lightly.
"When I first went to sea, the boatswain was a bad temper, and he would always point to the sail ropes that were not fastened or should be loosened and yell at me: 'Hurry up! Rope!'"
His tone was full of emotion: "In this way, I got the first nickname in my life."
Thales was still leaning against the corner solemnly.
Until Kuaisheng's next words came with a slight sense of depression:
"Not some bullshit 'born king'."
Thales frowned.
He suddenly thought of King Nun, but found that no matter what, it was difficult to connect him with the optimistic and open-minded, but strangely complex Quick Rope in front of him.
"What kind of nickname will you get, Tails, have you ever thought about it?"
Kuai Rope suddenly asked with great interest: "Adventure King? Hostage King?"
Thales came back to his senses and sighed slightly: "Moral..."
"Ah, I see."
In the darkness, Quick Rope's voice undulated slightly, with a hint of pride: "The King of Bad Luck."
Quick Rope's giggles started again.
Thales didn't respond.
Until Kuaisheng's laughter slowly died down.
"Why."
"Six years ago," Thales asked hoarsely, "Why did you leave?"
This time, there was silence in the room for a long time.
Kuai Sheng sighed softly, like a prisoner undergoing trial and preparing to face his fate.
"I asked myself this question countless times in the first few years."
Quick Rope's voice sounded faintly: "The answer is different every time."
"But in the past two or three years, the answer has gradually become clear."
In the darkness, he slowly sat up, his clear eyes twinkling slightly in the moonlight:
"Because it's my choice."
Thales's breathing became faster.
What King Charmaine said to him and his evaluation of Moral all came to mind one by one.
Everything I experienced six years ago flashes back to me like it was yesterday.
"But you just left so irresponsibly?"
Thales unknowingly gritted his teeth: "Leave your country, your people, and your relatives behind..."
The silhouette of the fast rope trembled slightly in the moonlight.
"Do you know how much damage your disappearance has caused to the entire Longxiao City? Do you know that your willfulness almost caused the two countries to fight each other, causing countless casualties? You know, your decision made me, Lumba, and
Selma, what fate did your father, King Nun, face?"
At that moment, Thales seemed to have returned to the underground tomb of Fuxing Palace, with that heavy, majestic, and faintly powerful voice ringing in his ears.
【Destiny will help you prepare】
In the past six years, blood, death, betrayal, murder, politics, helplessness and powerlessness, helplessness and regret, if this is the fate of the prince...
Thales's mood became more and more chaotic.
But facing fate, the person in front of him...
"how is he?"
"My father." Kuaisheng spoke hoarsely, interrupting Thales' thoughts of jealousy or reluctance: "Six years ago, when he was dying...how was it?"
Thales was slightly startled.
Nun VII.
Born king.
The indifferent old man caressing the ring.
"All I've heard over the years are rumors, but you were there, Thales," Kuaishou said calmly, with an imperceptible tremor in his voice:
"where are you."
For a moment, there were only two people breathing in the house.
Thales was silent for a while.
Dragon blood.
That night six years ago was truly unforgettable.
"I don't know how to describe it, but at that time..."
Finally, Thales sighed and suppressed the sudden surge of anger.
"He's not bad. Nunn still maintains the domineering and majestic nature of a born king."
He told Kuai Rope about the past, just like telling the story of his family to a son who has not been home for many years:
"At that time, he had just punished Fengzhao City and united the power of other archdukes, including the Black Sand Territory."
Thales mused: "And he has survived the crisis of the disaster, witnessed the return of the Sky Queen, and is thinking about teaching some lessons to the disaster that broke his toy."
The prince said with a disappointed tone: "He even has a plan for the future of Walton and Longxiao City."
And...the future of the Star Prince.
Kuaisheng laughed.
"Oh, it's still the same." His tone was quite nostalgic, but with an almost overflowing sadness.
"Have everything...in your hands."
Thales nodded.
"This is him before his death, the last King of Nun," the prince said with difficulty, "until..."
He said no more.
"Is it."
Kuai Sheng took over his words with an unclear tone.
Thales sighed: "Don't worry, everything happened very quickly. In an instant, he didn't feel any pain and passed away."
Two seconds of silence.
"Is it."
The quick rope leaned against the wall and hugged his knees tightly: "What about Longxiao City?"
Thales' breathing stopped.
"Really?" The prince asked with a touch of resentment, "You ask me?"
"Disaster has befallen the Shield Zone. They fought fiercely with the Sky Queen until morning, leaving many dead and wounded... After the king's death, rumors spread and the order was chaotic. The army of the Black Sand Territory entered the city at night and met with Lisban's soldiers," Thales took a deep breath and spoke.
, as if listening to a strange story told by a stranger: "The White Blade Guards suffered heavy losses, and Nicolai fought back with his last manpower."
Thales' tone became more and more anxious.
"Lombard once occupied the Palace of Heroes. The five archdukes were holding each other's futures and lives in the Hall of Heroes, holding their hands on the hilts of their swords, fighting for life and death. Archduke Ronny and Grand Duke Olesio even had their swords unsheathed, planning to fight to the death with Lombard.
."
"Kaslan, Michael... countless people died in that damn tug of war."
Every time he said a word, the shadow of Quick Rope trembled.
"In the end, Selma, I mean Alex Walton, under heavy pressure and under their malicious eyes, succeeded to the throne with difficulty."
In the end, Thales stared at the figure on the bed board with his eyes wide open:
"Under countless pairs of hateful eyes, Charmaine Lombard wore a bloody crown, stepped on countless bones in the rain of swords, and was crowned king as Charmaine I."
Quick Rope exhaled heavily.
"In the past six years, Longxiao City has been in turmoil and turmoil. The qualifications of the Grand Duchess have been deeply questioned. The vassals are full of conflicts. The king has ill intentions. The princes are eyeing me. I am trapped there as a hostage and a chess piece.
until now."
"This is the answer you want."
"Are you satisfied?"
Thales said coldly: "Moral Walton is the one who evaded responsibility and caused all this."
Kuai Sheng said nothing for a long time.
Until exactly ten seconds later.
"So that's the answer, thank you." Quick Rope replied weakly.
"I regret."
Thales frowned tightly.
"Are you sorry?"
Prince Xingchen sneered: "That is your country, your city, and your hometown."
"And you're 'sorry'?"
Kuaisheng shook his head.
"Tiles."
His tone was a little low.
"When you told Dean that you didn't want to ask so many questions and just wanted me to disappear forever, I thought you would at least understand a little bit."
Quick Rope seemed to have lost something, his tone was listless, but there was an unspeakable sadness in it.
Thales took a deep breath: "If you were still alive six years ago, I mean, if you had at least chosen to return to Longxiao City after escaping the assassination..."
Quick Rope suddenly raised his head!
"That won't change anything!"
He said coldly.
Thales was stunned.
"It's still the same, conspiracies, tricks, politics, interests..." Kuaisheng said almost through gritted teeth: "No matter Longxiao City or Exeter, Lombard or Walton, nothing has changed."
Thales looked at him blankly.
"Of course I know that there will be heavy casualties and high price."
Kuaisheng said sadly: "This is the struggle for power."
"You accuse me of causing trouble by running away."
"But how do you know that if I stay in the position of Grand Duke of Longxiao City or even King of Exeter, I will kill fewer people than I do now? I will cause less trouble than I do now. I will commit fewer crimes than I do now.
If you are lighter now, Longxiao City will be luckier and more stable than it is now?"
Thales gritted his teeth.
"You don't know, Thales."
Kuai Sheng said coldly:
"Do you think that the disasters and misfortunes in Longxiao City and the turmoil and drastic changes in Exeter are really just caused by Lomba's conspiracy, my willfulness, or my father's confusion?"
He straightened up from the wall.
"My father, the natural king, was powerful in the Western Continent when he was alive. He subdued the princes and went to war. He pushed the majesty of Longxiao City to the highest level in three generations. He spread fear and obedience throughout the country and abroad. The only thing left was to unify Egypt.
Kester.”
Kuaisheng’s tone was cold:
"However, this has destined him to become someone's enemy, the enemy of all the princes, the enemy of the feudal nobles, the enemy of the countries in the Western Continent, and even the enemy of the common people under his rule, even if there is no Lombard, no dark room, and no Bloody Palace
Years, even if there is no accident of Suril, no... no running away of me, one day, these enemies will also have other faces and characters, such as Ronny, Leko, Trudida, and even his most trusted
His subordinates, played by another group of people who were dissatisfied with him, came back until they flooded the throne of Longxiao City."
Enemies of King Nun...
Thales pondered, and the people who were responsible for the Dragon Blood Night six years ago appeared in front of his eyes: the Duke of Black Sand who was forced into a desperate situation, the fickle Marquis of Conmas, the deep dark room, and the sewer.
The black market forces, and even... even the supreme king of the stars.
Even a humble citizen like Grivet sneered at his king and showed disdain.
And King Nuen has only half of Longxiao City beside him.
"The reason why my father died was not because of the failure of a certain strategy, an accident, or someone's stupid move," Quick Rope's tone was filled with sadness: "It was because in this era, he climbed too high.
, too many people want him dead."
Thales was stunned.
On countless days and nights, when he recalled Dragon's Blood six years ago, what came to his mind were Nunn's mistakes, Rumba's ruthlessness, the insidiousness of the dark room, the secrets of the secret department, and the tricks of the Grand Duke and the princes.
but……
"There is only a thin line between peak prosperity and decline."
"This is the general trend, Thales," Quick Rope's tone became more and more urgent:
“After I returned from the sea and narrowly escaped death, I understood: History is not controlled by individuals like us who seem to have noble status and extraordinary power, but is controlled by countless unstoppable waves, unfathomable whirlpools, and vibrations in the world.
Determined by thousands of miles of tides and trade winds.”
"If you block the tide, no matter how strong a warship is, it will be shattered into pieces. If you ride on the wind and set sail, no matter how fragile a sampan is, it can travel thousands of miles in front of it. Even a great hero cannot save the day, and even a humble commoner can't.
Take advantage of the situation to reach the top.”
"Too many people only see conspiracies, overt and covert struggles, and heroes and bandits."
"But before the raging tide, individuals are too insignificant. There is actually very little we can do. No one can go against the trend and turn the tide. This is just an illusion we have about those characters who surface at the end of the wave.
"
"Not to mention my father, even if the Renaissance King and the Dragon Rider King are reincarnated, it will be the same...even if my father succeeds in handing the throne into my hands." His tone trembled slightly.
"I can see clearly that no matter who sits on that throne, Longxiao City is destined to prosper and decline. No matter who leads the Dragon Kingdom, Exeter will also have its ups and downs."
Quick Rope stared at Thales silently.
"It's like what's passed down from you, like the once arrogant empire."
Thales clenched his fists subconsciously.
"Do you think it must be a bad thing that Longxiao City is in turmoil because of a female Grand Duke?"
Quick Rope lowered his head.
"How do you know, if in Longxiao City at this time, if this feared force after King Nuen is still inherited by an orthodox male descendant, and still holds high the authority of the natural king, then the new king and
Wouldn’t the old princes deal with Longxiao City with a hundred times more terrible pressure and tactics than they do now, like ants eating away at insect corpses, eating us up to nothing but remains?”
"I'm not them, Thales, I'm not my father, I'm not Suril, and I'm not my cousin Charmaine Lombard who killed his own brother," Quick Rope folded his arms, his voice trembling:
"I can't do it. In that kind of abyss-like desperate situation, in that kind of air full of conspiracies and intrigues, with no breathing space, in those days when everyone lives in hell, besides bringing Longxiao City with me, I can't do it."