Thales rode on a mount with a brand new saddle and shiny coat, and moved forward slowly, all the way east.
He looked over the sentry's shoulder and stared at the grass and smoke in the distance, silently lost in thought.
The land here is different, different from the north land and the desert. It is wetter, more fertile, and flatter. The power of never getting lost allowed him to know this information in the dark.
"Your riding skills are very good, Your Highness, no less than a skilled cavalry."
The prince, who was immersed in "Never Lost", was awakened by the sudden sound and turned around quickly.
"Count Chroma."
As the horses' hooves rolled, they saw the Earl of Wingburg and Delcroma holding the reins of the horse, speeding past several personal guards and coming to the prince's mount. The personal guards dispersed in a sensible manner, leaving the Earl and the prince a certain amount of time.
space.
The freaks who were supposed to personally protect him were kept away from the personal guards of the "Head Crows". Snake Hand seemed a little unhappy, but he did not dare to offend the earl. In the end, he could only lower his head and murmur.
"In this day and age, at your age, many nobles with prominent families would find it difficult to stay on horseback for such a long time, even if they can maintain good riding posture."
Count Dele said calmly and calmly.
It had been more than ten hours since their team left the camp in a mighty manner. Except for a lunch break along the way, the well-trained Crow Whistle Qingqiu all picked up their horse speed and moved forward quickly.
Thales pinched his leg, turned his eyes and glanced at Dele's calf in the stirrup, feeling that the other man's riding posture had not changed much.
"Hold on for so long" on horseback
The prince secretly raised his eyebrows: Are you praising yourself?
Tails' thighs and waist have begun to feel sore after traveling for a long time, and now this kind of horse-stepping, which allows him to enjoy the scenery in peace, is a kind of rest.
Just listen to Earl Yibao continue to sigh:
"The military training of the Northlanders is truly extraordinary."
Thales nodded politely and laughed twice:
"Thanks."
As for the training of the Northlanders?
You should ask the Fallen and the Deathcrow.
The former spent several years of daily equestrian lessons teaching him how happy it is to be able to ride on a "normal" horse.
The latter's running away for several days taught him how happy it is to be able to ride a horse "normally".
Reminiscing about the bitterness and thinking about the sweetness, Thales sighed slightly.
Sure enough, people are forced out.
But having said that, from Nikolai and Monty to Tulha in the Black Sand Territory
Thales felt helpless when he thought that during his trip to the North, three of the famous Five Generals of Exter had trouble with him. He was probably the most disgusting person in the world. The prince secretly glanced behind him.
The second unluckiest person in the air.
By the way, how did Yoder keep up?
It's not like you're riding on the back of some horse, right?
"Finally we saw the land beyond the yellow sand, right?"
Count Dele seemed to plan to take advantage of this time to talk to Thales for a while.
"When I was serving at the border, I stayed in the desert for a few weeks before coming out," Dele looked at the distant grassland and village smoke and smiled slightly:
"Seeing even a little bit of green makes me excited."
Thales took the conversation half knowingly and half sincerely:
"Isn't it?"
"This feels really good."
After getting used to wandering in a foreign land for six years, he saw a different landscape and people again. This was the first time that Thales realized that he was neither in the dry and cold Northland nor in the desert full of yellow sand.
He is in the Kingdom of Stars.
A strange yet familiar feeling came over my heart.
Noticing where Thales was looking, Dele pointed to a few huts at the end of his sight:
"These small villages belong to Enci Town. It is our supply area today, not far ahead. It is the farthest to the west in the Western Wasteland and the town closest to the Blade Tooth Camp. It has provided supplies to the Western Front for many years.
Backup and protection.”
Gift Town.
Dele's explanation aroused Thales's long-lost interest in the unimaginable leisure and fun at a time when there was danger ahead and pursuers behind.
"And there we will turn onto the Grace Avenue and the road will be much easier to walk." Dele obviously understood the prince's mood and the muscle soreness from riding for too long, and continued his explanation.
"The Avenue of Gifts"
"I read it in a book when I was in the Northland," Thales tried his best to poke his head forward, trying to see the road in the distance clearly:
"But this is my first time leaving."
Count Dreux smiled:
"Then I believe that what I experience personally is more interesting than what I read in books."
However, the next second, when Thales' eyes touched the distant horizon, a strange feeling came.
After a faint tinnitus, a broad, flat, and solid surface appeared in front of him and appeared in his consciousness.
Thales instinctively closed his eyes and felt that the plane continued to extend eastward until it touched a cold, moist, chaotic, huge, seemingly endless liquid wall.
The Avenue of Gifts.
"But maybe it's not the first time."
Dele's words interrupted the prince's wandering in the world of consciousness, and he drew a horizontal line in the air:
"Enci Avenue is centered on Yongxing City and extends from east to west. To the west it connects to the ruins, Wing Castle and even Enci Town and other places in the Western Wasteland. To the east it goes directly to the Seven Ports of the East China Sea, headed by Huigang City."
Dele smiled slightly and joked:
"So, if you have ever set foot in Yongxing City, you have walked through the Avenue of Gifts."
Thales also laughed:
"Thank you and your comfort."
Dele nodded:
"Coupled with the King's Avenue that also passes through Yongxing City and runs from north to south. These two avenues complement each other, connect countless towns and castles along the way, and unblock the geographical bloodline of the kingdom. It is what the merchants call the Cross of Stars."
King's Road.
Star Cross.
Thales raised his eyebrows:
"I have actually been to the King's Road. Six years ago, when I went north to Exeter, I also knew that it passed through a large birch forest and ended at Broken Dragon Fortress."
The memories of the past came back, and Thales couldn't help but be lost in thought.
"This is thanks to your ancestor, Tormund III the Killer, at the beginning of the second century. It was his policy of encouraging pioneering that allowed him and the generations of kings after him to begin to rebuild the old roads of the imperial era."
Dele stretched out his hand and gestured around:
"In order to express their gratitude and gain support, the earliest nobles here named this border town, which is under the threat of desert, His Majesty's Gift."
Tormund's gift.
"Very smart," Thales looked at the looming villagers in the distance with interest:
"When facing foreign enemies, the fall of a border land or the fall of His Majesty's gift will be more shocking to Fuxing Palace, right?"
Dele nodded, turned around and scanned the way he came:
"exactly."
"The Western Wasteland was not a good place at that time. Not to mention that the Blade Tooth Camp was still an unknown lair of sand pirates in the desert. Even the ruins that had been built for a hundred years were just a foreign land of the kingdom in people's eyes. From its name,
It’s evident.”
Thales rolled his eyes.
Ruins.
Which lord with any brain would name his city "Ruins"
Dele looked at the retreating villages in sight and felt more emotional:
"Historically, the ruling family of Enci Town has experienced changes several times due to the elimination of heirs and marriages."
"Now, its owner is the Hermann family. They are vassals of the ruins. Their ancestors are a blood branch of the Falkenhaus family. They even have many intersections with the family trees of Bozdorf and our Croma.
"
But Dele's tone darkened slightly:
"But their glory is gone. The current Viscount of Enci Town even needs to borrow money to survive."
Thales frowned and turned back:
“Why go into debt?”
The mounts continued to move forward with the team, and from time to time sentries passing by for reconnaissance to clear the way or to protect the rear brought powerful and powerful orders.
Dele's eyes drifted into the distance, slightly confused.
"Because of the war."
Thales' eyes moved:
"Year of Blood"
Dele stared closely at Thales, lifted the reins of his horse, and moved forward with him.
"yes."
"But more than that."
He looked at Thales steadily:
"Eleven years ago, in order to seek justice for the Year of Blood, the Kingdom decided to go on an expedition into the desert."
Expedition to the desert.
Thales thought:
"You're talking about the Desert War and the subsequent Purge Campaign"
Dele raised his eyebrows, as if he remembered something, and then he apologized slightly:
"Oh, I almost forgot, of course you know. You were raised by Viscount Mann, and he died in that war."
Thales' face froze.
No, I do not know.
I heard it from a certain unscrupulous tavern owner.
The setting sun shines in front, and the team is still moving forward, but Dele is looking into the distance, seemingly in a trance:
"Before the war, His Majesty and the State Council passed an appendix to the mobilization resolution: During the emergency period, the Baron of the Blade Tooth Dune on the front line can exercise wartime control over the town of Grace in the name of the king, including but not limited to public security and martial law.
, summoning soldiers, requisitioning supplies, even appointing bureaucrats, collecting taxes, and enforcing the law."
Wartime control.
Thales suddenly said:
"I see."
But he immediately felt something was wrong:
"Emergency period"
Dele nodded with a gloomy expression:
"And since then, from the protracted purge campaign to the recent orc attack"
Dele's eyes became extremely sharp:
"The so-called emergency period in the Blade Tooth Camp has lasted for eleven years."
He turned his head and looked directly at Thales, the meaning in his eyes was difficult to understand:
"Never lifted."
Thales was stunned.
Eleven years of martial law and martial law
"And Grace Town is just one of those addendums."
Dele's voice was low, just like his emotions:
"Now do you know what this turmoil in the Blade Tooth Camp means?"
Thales frowned.
This time, the Earl of Wing Castle threw him a big proposition.
It was so big that he couldn't imagine it.
But Dele had no intention of asking him to answer. His Excellency the Count just said to himself:
“War sucks, right?”
The young earl rode on the road, and the setting sun dyed his armor golden.
But there was indescribable sadness in his eyes:
"It destroys more than just lives."
Thales pursed his lips, not knowing how to answer.
"During the war, faced with the army led by the king and the excitement of the people, old Viscount Hermann could only bow his head and follow the trend, obey orders, work conscientiously, and be diligent and loyal."
Dele's voice rose slightly:
"After the war, when facing Williams, the sixty-year-old Viscount Hermann could only hold the family tree and the yellowing canonization order of the town of Grace in one hand, and held a sword against his neck in the other hand. At the meeting of our lords,
The whole Western Wilderness is watching, and all we, the cowardly so-called great lords, so-called guardian dukes and imperial earls, can do is to persuade him to go back with all our heart and soul, using delays and lies."
Dele frowned and looked forward:
"So, when the old Viscount died in depression, and his son sneaked to the Wing Castle and humbly asked for a loan to make ends meet, I didn't hesitate or be stingy."
Earl Yibao's voice was calm, but his words contained depressing power:
"We owe him this."
Thales' eyes were a little heavy.
The silence lasted for a while, and for a while the only sound was the sound of horse hooves.
"How many."
After a long while, Thales spoke out from the unspeakable silence:
"How many situations like this are there in the Western Wilderness?"
Dele lowered his head and paused, seeming to be thinking.
But he finally spoke.
"I have no idea."
"But I know that about five years ago, the Baron of Emery Town who was under my command for hundreds of years, his whole family fell ill and unfortunately died. At least that's what was said to the outside world."
This time, the earl's voice was particularly low.
Thales frowned:
"foreign"
Dele raised his head and snorted from his nose:
"Obviously he has been protesting against the implementation of the tax exemption order for the development of border counties. According to him, the countless nouveau riche nobles spawned by that law are eroding his interests, taking away his subjects, and cutting off his livelihood every day.
"
"Regardless of whether his excuse was exaggerated or not, in the end it was also the worst. I don't know whether it was because he was too stupid to do anything, or because he had nowhere to appeal and was too stubborn, or because he drank too much and was confused and did not listen to us.
Discouraged, he followed his instinct and chose the radical style of the ancestors of the Douduo Empire."
Thales was stunned.
I saw Dele holding the reins tightly, with a chill in his eyes:
"He recruited soldiers, mobilized the army, and planned to cross the Western Wilderness to make big news that would be seen by the whole country."
Mobilize the army.
Big news.
Thales's mood became more and more tense.
"Then, how did my father react?"
But unexpectedly, Dele just shook his head and closed his eyes.
"Nothing," Earl Yibao said calmly:
"The Renaissance Palace never knew about this. At least, before they knew it, Duke Falkenhaus and Count Bozdorf made the decision together with me."
Thales was confused for a moment:
“I don’t know what it is to make a decision.”
Dele answered him in one sentence:
"We dealt with him."
The sentences are short, the syntax is simple, and the semantics are concise.
deal with
At that moment, Thales felt a heartfelt chill.
"you know."
I saw Dele gently opening his eyes and speaking indifferently:
"The warnings from the Bloody Year are not far away, the lessons of the Blade Leader are still there, and the Western Wilderness"
"We can't let that happen."
At that second, the Earl's eyes became extremely gloomy, and his voice was so tight that even the air could not flow:
"we can not."
so
baron amore
The whole family gets sick.
Unfortunately died.
This is how he died.
Thales only felt a slight numbness on his spine.
He couldn't help but think of what the Duke of Xihuang once said to him about nobility and royal power.
The fierce horse will not yield to the iron whip, the driver will not give up the whip, and the person in the carriage, no matter who it is, cannot sit and wait for it to fall apart.
Amidst the sound of horse hooves, the voice of Earl Yibao came slowly:
"cannot"
Thales took a gentle breath.
The prince's team is still advancing, and the single-winged crow with golden patterns shines golden in the sunset.
But in those few seconds, Thales had an illusion: The air between him and Dele, their two mounts, was so cold that it could freeze a Northlander to death.
After a while, Thales finally said with difficulty:
"You don't like it, right?"
"What my father has done over the years."
Hearing this, Dele took a deep breath.
Fortunately, it seemed that the rays of the setting sun instantly drove away the coldness on the count's body, restoring some warmth to his expression.
"It's hard to say whether you like it or not."
Dele's meticulous riding posture became a little looser, and he could only be heard saying quietly:
"It's just that I live here, feel here, and connect here."
"My subjects, my vassals, my family, everything I cherish is in the Western Wasteland."
"I have an obligation to them and to this land."
Dele's expression was slightly lost:
"When they live, I want them to live in peace, when they breathe, I want them to breathe smoothly, and when they die, I want them to die well."
The earl's eyes slowly focused:
"And if they are destined to disappear"
"I want them to go away peacefully, relieved, and without any regrets."
Earl Yibao exhaled slowly:
"Instead of being shattered into pieces in the unknown rolling waves."
There was another awkward silence.
At this time, countless thoughts passed through the prince's mind, but none of them could make him happy.
Thales could only sigh deeply.
Seemingly noticing the prince's mood, Dele smiled happily and took on a relaxed tone.
"But you know the most ironic thing about Grace Town?"
Thales returned a questioning look.
"Before the lords gathered their troops to welcome His Highness back to the country, Count Bozdov of the Castle of Heroes asked His Majesty for orders to obtain an order to lift the emergency period for the Town of Grace."
"but"
Dele's smile gradually disappeared, and he sighed softly.
"It's been eleven years. If you include the wars and recessions before and after the Bloody Year, the Herman family has been away from the operational center of Grace Town for more than twenty years and has become a wealthy gentry."
Thales's heart tightened.
"So, little Herman, who carried his father's last wish, discovered from the first day that everything from the execution of official duties, security maintenance, to system management, to the reserve of talents and the coordination of relationships."
"Poor, they have lost the ability to rule the current town of Grace."
Dele's voice was inexplicably weird:
"If a horse has not left its stable for twenty years, a raven has not flown out of its coop for twenty years."
At that moment, Thales suddenly felt a little chilly in his heart.
"After the first week of chaos and frustration, the residents are protesting endlessly, and everyone is dissatisfied."
Dele stared closely at the reins in his hands:
"In order to avoid chaos, Enci Town had to stay in office and even recalled some officials appointed by the royal family."
"After what happened at the Blade Tooth Camp, the Herman family even had to compromise with the royal standing army that was originally preparing to withdraw to prevent sporadic threats that might penetrate the defense line. After all, even the lords' troops in the Blade Tooth Camp were completely defeated.
Isn’t it?”
Dele's expression darkened:
"And then you saw, Williams came back."
"Everything is back."
He turned around and looked at the setting sun behind him, which was about to end over the Western Mountains, with a hint of desolation in his tone:
"Everything can never come back."
At that second, Thales unconsciously took a deep breath.
He recalled Cyril Falkenhauser's words not long ago:
For hundreds of years, from the succession of families, the rise and fall of titles, the ruling on tax regulations, the appointment and dismissal of officials, the judgment of laws, and the mobilization of the army, the Fuxing Palace has been gentle and step-by-step but unstoppable.
Slowly, but surely, snatched away from the lords
The speed of the team slowed down, and the sentry cavalry galloped back and forth more and more frequently. A large part of the cavalry had accelerated first and disappeared around the corner of the hillside ahead.
"So, sometimes I think, it would be nice if there was no desert war."
Dele seemed to have forgotten the existence of the prince. At this moment, he seemed to be talking to himself:
"Even further, it would be better if there was no bloody year"
If there was no bloody year
those many, many people
Thinking of this, Thales' eyes were lost in thought for a moment.
A few seconds later, Dele exhaled heavily, as if to expel all the anger he had felt for many days from his chest, and his tone became normal:
"Sorry, Your Highness, I lost my temper."
But Thales just curled his lips:
"No, thank you for your honesty."
The team turned around a hillside, and in front of them, a small town with a different style from Exeter and Blade Tooth Camp appeared in front of them.
The prince looked at the crowds getting closer and closer, his smile a bit forced.
"You are right, Lord Earl," Thales said with a complicated mood:
"Sometimes, what you experience personally is more interesting than what you read in books."
It's also heavier.
He said silently in his heart.
"I understand what you mean, and I will keep it in mind."
Thales said solemnly.
But his words were a bit more sincere than the previous polite conversation.
This time, Dele stared at him for a long time.
"thank you."
The count responded softly, but extremely seriously:
"Your Highness Thales."
After finishing speaking, Dele turned the horse's head as the horse slowed down, and stretched out his arms towards the town that appeared in front of him unknowingly:
"Then, welcome to Grace Town."
Thales took a deep breath and turned his head.
He looked at the small town in front of him from a distance with scattered houses and wide stone brick pavements. Almost hundreds of residents were waiting nervously behind the sentry line composed of Crow Whistle Qingqi, casting curious eyes towards the center of their team.
Thales clenched his fist lightly.
"Don't forget the origin of its name."
Just listen to Dele say with deep meaning:
"This is your Majesty's gift."
But the next second, before Thales could reply, there was a commotion in the "welcoming crowd" in front of him.
Thales and Dele's attentions were raised at the same time.
Under the vigilant eyes of the Crow Guards and the "freaks" who were shouting outside and trying not to get close to the prince, a group of dozens of black-armored soldiers roughly pushed aside the crowd and came with heavy steps.
, fierce and powerful.
"Give Way"
Many civilians complained, but no one dared to object. Everyone left the road willingly or unwillingly to make way for this group of soldiers.
Thales frowned.
Many Crow Whistle Qingqiu subconsciously touched their weapons, but made no further moves.
Because a flag rose high as it broke through the crowd like breaking waves.
Looking at the flag, Thales was stunned for a moment.
The flag has a solid yellow background and a lion outlined in black lines.
Black lion on yellow background.
"That's it." Thales was a little confused.
Earl Dele sighed, turned to Thales, and whispered:
"The Black Lion of Heroic Castle, the Bozdorf family, they came earlier than I expected."
Castle of Heroes
black lion
bozdov
Before Thales, who had thought of something, could react, Dele crossed the saddle and pressed Thales' arm:
"That is Earl Lewis. Although he is also one of your imperial vassals, I sincerely advise you, Your Highness, no matter what he said"
Dele's tone was extremely cautious, and the corners of his mouth slightly curved:
"Just smile."
Thales was confused again.
A high-pitched but slightly rough voice, with a little enthusiasm, a little cunning, and perhaps a little coldness and gloom, sounded among the black-armored soldiers:
"Dele, Dele, my dear little Dele"
"You came so quickly, didn't you?"
A middle-aged nobleman of medium stature, slightly fat, but covered in black armor and with a sword hanging from his waist, rode on a horse, surrounded by soldiers on both sides, and came to the front of the "Head Crow" formation.
Dele's personal guards obviously knew him, no one stopped him, and no one spoke.
The guards of the middle-aged nobles also stopped in front of the formation tacitly, allowing their master to hold the reins and move forward.
Thales keenly noticed that Dele took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
I saw the middle-aged nobleman with a warm and somewhat fake smile, reining in front of Dele's horse and stretching out his arms to him:
"Sure enough, in the entire Western Wilderness, whether it's horses or crows, your place is more productive."
The middle-aged noble looked at Dele's mount with an expression of admiration for the horse, but his tone of voice gradually changed:
“It’s obedient, easy to use, fast, and convenient.”
Dele frowned.
The middle-aged noble glanced sideways at the Earl of Wing Castle and showed an intriguing expression:
"From the common people down to the king, everyone likes her very much."
Thales pursed his lips: there was a hint of deep meaning in the other person's words.
Count Dele seemed to have heard nothing, nodded respectfully and responded with a smile:
"Count Lewis Bozdorf."
Dele politely took off his iron gloves and stretched out his right hand:
"It's an honor to meet you."
The middle-aged nobleman smiled, took off his gloves as well, and held Dele's hand.
He didn't answer, but his eyes were like daggers, shooting straight at Thales beside Dele.
Staring at Thales, who was smiling at first, his heart tightened.
"So, where is it?"
The next moment, the man known as Earl Lewis was clearly staring at the prince, but he narrowed his eyes, his face was arrogant, and his tone was gloomy:
"Where is our heroic prince who is said to have defended world peace, conquered the dragon kingdom, and saved the entire planet?"
End of this chapter
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