The silence in the dark cell lasted for a long time.
Sak'el was like a lost child, leaning against the wall and silent.
Samir lowered his head for a long time, his body stiff.
Thales stood precariously on the spot, in a trance.
Until Ricky, who was outside, sighed softly and attracted everyone's attention.
Sak'el slowly stood up from the ground.
"Thank you for your question, kid," the former punishment knight stepped forward sadly and handed the jc dagger in his hand through the gap in the fence:
"And your razor."
"This is a good knife, and should not be used to shave a sinner."
The fence cast a shadow in the firelight, carving black marks on Sak'el's face.
The worried Thales took a deep breath, steeled himself, nodded with a forced smile, and took the dagger.
Sak'el's hands were rough, and the calluses on them were not as hard as skin.
Thales took back the dagger in confusion, but when he turned his head, he saw Ricky looking at him expressionlessly.
Crassus, the Sword of Disaster, slowly extended his right palm towards the prince, his palm cocked.
Thales was startled for a moment, then looked at the dagger in his hand and exhaled helplessly.
He took a step forward in annoyance and put the jc dagger in Ricky's hand.
Only then did Ricky reveal a faint, "You are so sensible" smile.
The leader of the Sword of Disaster lowered his head, flipped through it, and saw a line of text on the black sheath of the dagger:
Kings are not respected by blood.
Ricky suddenly felt enlightened. He looked at Sak'el, then at the unhappy Thales, and hummed softly.
Sak'el looked at their interaction, raised the corners of his mouth, and said in a calm tone:
"Thank you too...thank you for not being an illusion."
Thales snorted with a half-smile, trying to dispel the inexplicable haze lingering in his heart: "How do you know?"
Thacker smiled.
"certainly."
"Perhaps you are hallucinating more powerfully than the hallucinations in the past. It's unknown." The punishment knight shook his head and shaved his hair, seeming to wake up a little. "But you know, every time you have an attack, it's like
My head turned into a big pot, and twenty people took turns stewing beef in it..."
He frowned, but his expression was a little dazed.
"They never shut up, but they never asked me, how I felt, who I saw, and they wouldn't ask unnecessary questions like you," Sak'el gritted his teeth from time to time.
, sometimes with a bitter smile, and finally turned into helpless relief, and opened his mouth and smiled:
"Because they already knew."
He shook his head as if mocking himself:
"Like I know it myself."
As he spoke, Sak'el seemed to be amused by himself. He suddenly patted his thigh and kept laughing:
"Haha, I know it myself...hahahahahahaha..."
During the laughter, the lines on his forehead appeared and disappeared, and the sin mark on his forehead was pulled, making the ferocious "s" tremble back and forth.
Seeing this scene through the cell door made Thales feel quite bitter.
Next to him, Samir couldn't bear it any longer, and he spoke sadly.
"You know, Sak'el," the former flag officer breathed deeply: "I can still save you. No matter what happens after that, you don't have to face this situation again..."
Sacher's laughter stopped.
"No need," he said sadly:
"Everyone has a price to pay."
Sak'el looked around his cell,
"The current price," he said wistfully, "is what I deserve, it's just right."
Samir closed his eyes gently.
A few seconds passed.
"Where are the others," Sak'el sighed, "have you been up there?"
This question made Samir speechless again.
"them……"
Samir hesitated to speak.
Little Barney roared, and the remains of thirty-seven brothers appeared in front of him at the same time, making his lips tremble.
Finally, Samir forced out a smile and said with difficulty: "I've seen it."
"good."
Sacher didn't reply right away.
He stared closely at Samuel, staring at the way he turned his head slightly after finishing speaking, not daring to look at him.
"That's it."
Sacher smiled faintly, as if he understood something.
"That's good."
He nodded slowly, turned around, and murmured again:
"That's good."
Suddenly, Thales felt that the man's back became stooped and thin.
It's like I've aged ten years in an instant.
But Samir didn't dare to speak anymore, he just stood aside with a painful expression on his face.
Ricky, who was watching everything, said nothing, but looked at the prisoners in the cell with interest.
Until Sak'el sighed softly.
"Tell me," the punishment knight said surprisingly gently, "what's your purpose?"
He looked at Thales:
"For the sake of the kid."
Thales smiled back at him.
At that second, Samir and Ricky were startled at the same time and looked at each other.
But they quickly reacted: the other party cooperated.
With a touch of joy and excitement, Samir nodded to Ricky and spoke decisively.
"We just want to verify something, Sak'el."
Sak'el didn't speak, just raised his chin slightly.
Samir cleared his throat and frowned slightly, as if recalling his own problem.
But taking a step forward, it was Ricky who spoke first:
"First of all, Sak'el, how much do you know about the Tower of the End?"
As soon as he said this, Thales frowned slightly.
He suddenly remembered what he saw and heard when he was held hostage in the tavern: the Swords of Disaster raided the Tower of the End, suffered heavy losses and retreated to the Blade Fang camp, regrouped their men, and took advantage of the gap between the army's westward expedition to invade the Prison of Bones.
From the Tower of End to the Prison of Bones, there must be something driving the forward and backward movements of the Sword of Disaster.
And that's...
"Tower of the End?"
Sak'el's lifeless tone woke Thales out of his thoughts.
I saw him standing against the wall with his arms folded, a disdainful sneer curling up at the corner of his mouth: "Not much."
"A cunning, cunning and self-righteous shameless force."
What?
Thales was slightly startled.
Insidious and cunning?
opinionated?
Shameless?
He scratched his head and suddenly realized that this description was incompatible with the impression of the Tower of the End that he had developed in the past.
In the past years, whether it was the loyal valet Wyatt, the bold and heartless fool Cohen, the scheming conspirator Raphael and the cold beauty Miranda, even the former enemies
The voice of Croash, and even the old alcoholic Kaslan who has a "human face and an animal heart" (Cohen's term), these people from the Tower of the End are always using their own ideas and behaviors to instill this impression into Thales:
The Tower of the End is a noble and neutral place of inheritance. It teaches combat skills and imparts the power of the end. It is determined to preserve the vitality and fighting power of mankind, to unite the same spirit and heart and soul during the end war, and to unite the people who once responded to each other as one.
The spirit continues from generation to generation.
But today...
Thales frowned and looked at Sak'el, who looked disdainful, and listened to him continue to describe his feelings about the Terminator Tower:
"...Proclaims to remain neutral and never establish a country, but in fact it separatists one side and is no different from a local military leader."
“In the international arena, he sways left and right, adapting to the prevailing situation, without any shame, and he constantly encourages his subordinates to go out and engage in mercenary activities that are dirtier than most countries, euphemistically calling it a “trial.”
"
I saw that Sak'el became more and more ferocious as he spoke, and seemed to have a deep prejudice against that place:
"For hundreds of years, those hypocrites in the name of swords have been lying on the bones of their ancestors that have been cold for centuries, bathing in fame and glory that do not belong to them, and they are used to using hypocritical and pretentious excuses to attract generations of hot-headed young people.
, it’s called inheriting skills and protecting humanity, but it’s actually about cultivating minions and supporting soldiers with self-respect.”
He gritted his teeth and even made a loud noise when he reached the end of his words, which made Samir frown again and again outside the cell.
Instead, Ricky's eyes lit up.
“Study day and night on how to kill, and then teach it to the people below, and let them go out and wield swords to fight for wars in various countries, kill more people, shed more blood, fight more wars, and make the world more chaotic.
All thanks to those disgusting villains at the Tower of Termination."
"Afterwards, generations of war orphans, filled with the hatred and ambition left by the previous generation, came to their door again, surrendered their loyalty and belonging to those self-proclaimed hypocrites in exchange for the skills of killing, and continued to live like fate.
reincarnation."
Sak'el clenched his fists as if he were actually there, like a green forest hero who hates evil:
"But that group of despicable and shameless people still stay out of the matter, and still have the nerve to maintain the so-called noble moral integrity and valuable neutrality, because what they give out is only a sword, and only others hold the sword. It seems that being dirty and despicable has nothing to do with them."
"Pooh."
The punishment knight scolded fiercely:
"Fucking Terminator Tower."
Thales looked at Sak'el with a strange expression, thinking that what Ricky just asked him was how much he knew about the Tower of the End...
Is this also called "not much"?
However, Sakel's evaluation or accusation is not over yet.
"Have you ever seen the shameless scum who have compassion on their faces all day long and rush to their missions, claiming to love peace and defend humanity, but never stop and never show mercy to sell murderous weapons all over the world?" Sak'el said with an eyebrow.
Lips, teeth fiercely opened:
"That's them."
"The scum of the Terminator Tower."
After saying that, Sak'el ended his short sharing of thoughts with a "hum" exhaled from one nostril.
The atmosphere in the black cell was awkward for a moment.
Samuel didn't know how to answer the question for a moment. Thales also raised his eyebrows, but Ricky laughed indifferently.
"Well, I like this guy," Ricky smiled enough. He scratched his chin and looked at the punishment knight with interest:
"Are you sure you don't want to get out of jail? We will work together very well."
Sak'el gave him a cold smile.
Samuel coughed and whispered to Ricky:
"Due to his many past experiences, he has a deep prejudice against the Terminator Tower."
Ricky shook his head disapprovingly:
"To the point."
Samir sighed, and then took out a piece of paper from his arms.
This action attracted Thales' attention: he had a premonition that this was the true purpose of the Sword of Disaster.
Samir gently opened the paper, spread it out in front of Sak'el's eyes through the fence, and illuminated it with the light of the fire.
"Sacher, remember this?"
Sak'el squinted his eyes and was flinched by the approaching firelight at first, but as he gradually adapted to the light, he slowly walked forward and stared at the paper in Samiel's hand carefully.
.
At that moment, Thales suddenly felt that Sak'el's aura had changed.
His eyes became sharp and his expression no longer seemed casual.
It was as if he had transformed from a poor, exhausted man who had gone through many vicissitudes of life to the former imperial guard.
But he just looked at the things on the paper carefully and said nothing.
This made Thales even more curious: What exactly was written on the paper in Samir's hand?
But Samir stood closest to the cell, so Thales could only see the blank back of the paper, and Samir held the paper high so that Thales could not reach it.
Just when the prince was hesitating whether to peek out in front of the two powerful kidnappers, Sak'el, who became serious, suddenly stretched out his hand and took the piece of paper.
Thales's hope of seeing the truth was shattered.
Sak'el frowned and stared at the contents of the paper.
Outside the cell, Samir and Ricky were waiting quietly, but Thales could feel that they were staring with bated breath, expecting each other's response.
After a long while, Sak'el finally raised his head with a solemn expression.
He shook the paper in his hand and slowly asked the two uninvited guests:
"What's this?"
Apparently, Samuel was encouraged by the other party's unusual reaction. He raised the corners of his mouth and said, "It's a sketch I drew based on my impression after seeing it once."
"As you can see, the actual color is much brighter."
Sak'el's brows frowned more and more.
He first glanced at the two people outside the cell, and then snorted coldly:
"With just this piece of paper, how do I know what this is?"
Samir stared coldly at his former colleagues.
"If it were other people, other things, maybe the answer would be no, but..."
Samir raised the torch high, shrouding Sak'el's entire face in the firelight, but Thales only felt that the latter's expression was a bit gloomy.
"Do you see its outline and how special it is?"
"More than ten years ago, I was still in the Fuxing Palace and saw it when I was on duty at the entrance to the royal treasury." Samir stared at the prisoner very seriously. "I glanced at it from a distance at that time, but I will never forget it.
.”
Thales' heart skipped a beat.
The royal treasure house in Fuxing Palace?
Sak'el didn't answer, but his eyes shifted to the piece of paper, and his fingers gripping the edge gradually became harder.
It seems that because of talking about the past, Samir's tone seemed a little depressed:
"The secret treasures in the royal treasury are all of great value and significance. In the entire Fuxing Palace, apart from the royal family, there is only one position in the guard that can directly access them."
"That position protects the heritage of the royal guard and knows countless secrets. Only those who are trusted and expected can serve as the next captain and commander of the guard."
Sak'el still didn't speak, but everyone in the room understood what Samir meant.
I saw Samir adjusting his emotions, pointing at the piece of paper and said solemnly:
"And guarding the royal treasury and controlling the entry and exit of secret treasures is one of his unique responsibilities. I can guarantee that this thing is definitely on his care list."
Having said this, Samir took a step forward and almost leaned against the fence.
"Tell me, Sak'el, the former watchman of the royal guard," the former flag officer said coldly:
"What is that thing drawn on the paper, that thing that was treasured in the royal treasury many years ago?"
In that second, Thales felt that the atmosphere in the arena had turned cold, and the air pressure around Sak'el seemed to have dropped by another level.
Ricky's eyes gradually became sharp as he looked at Sak'el.
This made Thales even more curious about the piece of paper in Sak'el's hand.
The punishment knight sneered.
"You spent so much effort just to get me an antique appraisal?"
He raised his eyes and glanced at Samir and Ricky.
Samir gritted his teeth imperceptibly.
But he knew that he couldn't be harsh to the person in front of him.
So Samuel just took a deep breath and said gently:
"Please, Sak'el, this is important to us."
Ricky didn't move.
Sak'el stared at the contents on the paper for a few more times.
He asked calmly: "Why do you ask this? Where did you find it?"
Samir took out a breath and frowned:
"Sacher, I'm the one who asked the question."
But Sak'el just shook his head:
"The value of intelligence lies in its back-and-forth circulation, allowing both parties to take the next valuable action through feedback and gain."
"If you don't tell me more information, then my answer cannot be more accurate."
He raised the paper to eye level and shook it between the two of them.
Samir was about to say something, but Ricky interrupted.
"Not long ago, we found this thing in the House of Heritage in the Tower of the End."
The three of them turned their heads and looked at Ricky who said calmly: "As their top secret in recent years."
Thales' eyebrows moved again.
The Tower of the End’s... top secret?
"Tower of the End?"
Sak'el's expression finally changed.
He looked thoughtful.
"I guess you were not invited to visit, right? The House of Heritage is their core area," Sak'el pondered for a while, then showed a gloating smile: "By the way, well done."
But Ricky just shook his head.
"We didn't get it. The Terminus Tower always protected it very tightly. Even if we paid a heavy price, we could only get a quick glance."
Samir's expression dimmed and he nodded silently.
"According to the intelligence, the owner of the Termination Tower, the old man from the Far East, values it very much." Ricky looked at Sak'el with a rare serious expression: "According to what he said personally, this may be the key to changing the world."
Sak'el frowned fiercely.
"Shao?"
He looked disgusted: "That stupid, old gray-robed swordsman?"
Thales didn't listen to Sak'el's disrespectful words about the Tower of the End, but his attention was attracted by Ricky's words.
There is... in the Tower of the End...
The key to changing the world?
what is that?
Thales stared at the paper with more and more curiosity, imagining what was drawn on it.
"Now you have the information you asked for, Knight of Punishment."
Ricky pouted at the piece of paper: "We found it in the Tower of the End, and Samuel was the only one who recognized it. This brought us here, to you."
"Even for the sake of us breaking in to relieve your boredom... Sak'el, answer us, what on earth is this?"
He focused his gaze on Sak'el's calm and gloomy face, as if trying to discern something from it.
Sacher was silent for a long time, staring at the paper.
But Ricky and Samir also seemed very patient.
Until the former royal guard guard spoke calmly.
"Three hundred years ago."
Samir looked startled: "What?"
Under the reflection of the fire, Sak'el approached the fence, revealing a half-dark face.
The ferocious mark on his forehead was extremely clear, while the lower half of his face was completely plunged into darkness.
But his eyes were full of energy, glaring at the guests outside the cell, like sword light flashing, and he did not look like a mentally disturbed person at all.
Just listen to Sak'el continue:
"In the year 349 of the End Calendar, Esola Yeluo married into the Bright Star royal family and became the queen of Midir IV."
Tails, who listened carefully, was stunned for a moment.
Medir IV.
Wouldn't that be...
Ricky was still frowning and confused, but Samir, who was familiar with the history of the stars, had a slight expression on his face:
"Ye Luo, Ye Luo...you mean, the only elf queen in the history of the stars, Queen Esola?"
Sak'el nodded slowly, with a serious expression.
"And what you claim to have found on this piece of paper in the Tower of the End is one of the dowries that Queen Esola brought into the Renaissance Palace from the Holy Tree Kingdom."
His voice was calm and his tone was solemn.
When the people outside the prison looked at each other, Sak'el raised his right hand and gently turned over the paper in his hand, facing Thales.
When the firelight illuminated the paper, the prince was slightly confused at first, and then his spirit was shaken!
I saw the outline of a short sword carefully traced on the paper.
Strange weighted ball.
The gem in the middle of the sword grid.
A guard that curves in the opposite direction toward the blade.
Thales froze on the spot.
That is
"Even among the dazzling array of royal treasures, it is a special one."
"Because this is the last ancient weapon in the world that has survived from the savagery era. It is said to be able to slay giant dragons."
Thales stared at the pattern on the paper, and slowly heard the unhurried but inexplicably powerful voice of the Punishment Knight: "The holy elves call it..."