"It seems that you feel the weight of that threshold name."
Asheida looked at Thales who was breathing heavily and thought thoughtfully:
"Especially when the person calling it is a magician and is close at hand."
Thales wiped the sweat from his forehead and gritted his teeth.
What did you feel just now...?
Aixida snorted lightly and returned to her usual elegance:
"Don't worry, he is sealed and cannot respond decently."
Otherwise they wouldn't be sitting here safely.
Thales exhaled and stared out the window.
The moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, and it was pitch black outside the castle. Only sporadic calls of birds and animals could be heard in the distance.
The atmosphere became a little deserted, and the young man's mood was also lowered.
"What does that feel like?"
There was something ethereal in Thales' tone that he couldn't even feel:
"When you, as a magician, are sealed by the legendary anti-magic force?"
Asheida fell silent.
But there were dots of blue light in his eyes, like stars in the night sky.
"I'd better not tell you."
Thales frowned:
"Why?"
Aixida paused for a few seconds before speaking:
"Seven years ago, when I was sealed by that dagger, what did you see?"
Thales was stunned and had to recall the unpleasant first meeting between him and the Qi Magician.
When he was sealed by Yodel.
What did I see...
"You, you turned into many beams of colorless light, scattered," Thales tried to remember, his tone was uncertain, "energy, loud noise, impact, explosion... Then, then I don't remember
Already."
"What about Giza?"
Giza?
Thales' nerves tightened, remembering the last moments of the Blood Magician.
【Beware of Aishida.】
"She withered, hardened, turned black, became brittle, then cracked, shattered, and turned into flying ash all over the sky," Thales told the past, remembering the moment when he sealed Giza with the Purifying Edge, and for some reason, deep in his heart,
There is an unspeakable sadness in it, "like the embers of a fire that are blown away by the wind."
The magician nodded and looked at the darkness outside the window:
"This is what you see, but it already explains a lot of problems."
Aixida's tone suddenly tightened:
"Seven hundred years ago, as the first target of the magician, Bane was sealed very simply and quickly. He disappeared without a trace, and even if we knocked on the door and entered our original state, we would use the most brutal method.
Even when he called his name, he couldn't get any response or feedback, as if he just fell asleep and never woke up."
"There were many witnesses when Arik was surrounded, and Yu's unwilling roar in his true state alarmed almost all magicians, so that we always have the illusion that he still exists, but there is only dead silence, ignorance, and unconsciousness.
, no thoughts, no feelings. As time goes by, we gradually realize: he will never come back."
"We don't know how many times Solovsky has been hunted, but after a sudden and abrupt knock on the door, his state became permanently abnormal. His response to us was incoherent, confusing and inconsistent, and it was not information at all.
What is conveyed is only coldness, despair, and stillness, which eventually become countless meaningless fragments.”
Bane, Arik, Solovsky...
These familiar names appeared in Aixida's mouth, which made Thales change his face slightly.
"Lebra, he was hunted by three legendary anti-demon weapons. Each time he was restricted and weakened a little, and finally fell to the fourth one. But he did not disappear immediately after being sealed, but disappeared in our
It lingered in the perception for three months before it gradually weakened, fell silent, and returned to stillness. Thanks to him, we know that the seal is not death and destruction, but another incomprehensible state. We also know that Black Orchid and Blood Thorn are already
The existence on another level is the 'Supreme Queen of All Magic'."
"L's seal is the most weird and mysterious. As the most terrifying magician besides B, although we have no news about him, we all know and feel that he still exists in the world. But at a certain moment, you turned around and realized
I am extremely certain: he disappeared a long, long time ago, and you just, just inexplicably... forgot."
"And Ji Lai, as strong and iron-blooded as he is, a magician who is so proud and sharp that he dares to fight one against two, to challenge Brother Truth, the last time he knocked on the door, what he conveyed was bottomless pain, anger, disgust and even...
Desperate and sad.”
"As for Giza, in the past seven hundred years, she has encountered no less than double digits of disaster hunters and no less than six legendary anti-demon armed forces, and fought back and forth. Although she was inevitably embarrassed, most of them survived until they were killed.
You put the last straw and turned it into countless dead things and ashes."
At this point, Aixida's tone changed:
"Finally, B."
Thales' expression tightened.
"When he was sealed, even though he was thousands of miles away," Aixida said in an ethereal tone, "the kind of shock and fluctuation that tore everything apart and destroyed everything made me think that the world was about to end."
"Therefore, the performance and effect of each magician's seal are different, and we suspect that this is because each magician's..."
"Magic energy?" Thales took over.
The young man looked serious: "So you can't tell me because it's a first date with magic."
Aixida thought for a while and nodded:
"Each magician's magic power is unique, which may determine how they are sealed, as well as the state and feeling of being sealed."
Thales was silent for a long time, his expression serious.
"So, as an experienced person, do you have any advice?"
The young man looked at the guide:
"When we face the legendary anti-demon forces?"
The Qi Magician was also silent for a long time.
"No."
"Every legendary anti-magic weapon can weaken or even completely invalidate the magic power. It is difficult for us to even get close, let alone touch."
"Even if the same weapon is in the hands of different people in different eras, facing different enemies, it may have completely different effects and functions. You can't even prepare in advance."
This answer made the atmosphere heavy.
Thales frowned.
"So, why do I still want to become a magician? At least I can still touch them now, but after taking that step, I will have a fatal weakness. Any legendary anti-magic weapon can kill me?"
"If you don't take that step, you will have fatal weaknesses everywhere," Asheida shook her head with a hint of disdain, "You don't need the legendary anti-magic weapons, any weapon, even a small nail, can kill you."
Thales choked.
"Okay, let's get back to the point."
The Duke waved his hand:
"So the current situation of Frylan is unknown? Which camp does she belong to? How did you get together?"
Frylan.
This name made the blue light in Aixida's eyes flash, branch out, and seep into her face.
But he didn't answer, but looked at Thales coldly:
"I've told you a lot tonight."
"Where's your reward?"
return.
Tails paused for a moment, and then realized what the other person was saying.
"But you just said, this is not a deal!"
"That's right," Aixida seemed to have some time to straighten her clothes (actually they were not messy at all), "So, I call this mutual help between teachers and students, and mutual learning through teaching."
Taylor suddenly choked.
A few seconds later, the young man gestured with his middle finger dejectedly:
"Fuck you."
"What does that mean? Middle finger?"
"The new trend of scolding among Northlanders."
"Then," Asheida said calmly, "I can only tell Flelan's story next time."
"Alright alright!"
Thales had to raise his hands and surrender.
He stood up unhappily and pointed to the blue invitation on the ground:
"Then, don't blink!"
The next second, the invitation reappeared in Thales' hand.
The young man narrowed his eyes, sneered and waved the invitation to the magician.
But Asheida had no time to pay attention to Thales's expression.
"It's so beautiful," the guide looked at Thales's fingers and spoke profoundly, "Charming, beautiful, indescribable."
Listening to this series of adjectives, Thales felt a little embarrassed and coughed.
"Well, this ability, how should I put it, is a bit embarrassing."
Asheida's attention returned to Thales's words;
"Awkward?"
Thales sighed and stuffed the invitation into his pocket.
"Let's put it this way, if I were a magician who performed magic tricks, then my performances would be filled to the brim with loud cheers."
"If I were a little thief wandering the streets, I would always get my business and never lose it."
"Even if I am a mercenary who licks blood with his sword, it will be very effective if I come unexpectedly like this in the battle."
The young man's tone dropped:
"But..."
"You are a prince," Aixida calmly accepted his words, "The noble Duke of Star Lake."
Thales' smile disappeared instantly.
"Exactly." The young man was a little frustrated.
"If you want to watch a magic show, I can invite the best circus in the entire Western Continent. They don't have magic powers and can perform better than me."
"If I want to get something far away, instead of using magic energy, why don't I just ask the guard servants to get it directly, so as to save worry and effort?"
Thales sarcastically said:
"And if I really encounter an enemy, instead of using all my energy to use magic energy, I might as well wave my hand and big guys like wolves and tigers will swarm up and beat the person for me."
Asheida listened to his words silently, noncommittal.
"Also, for a good street beggar, if you want to get things from other people's pockets without anyone noticing," Thales snapped his fingers, and the invitation in his pocket magically appeared in his other hand.
, "It really doesn't require any magic power."
"So so far, its greatest effect is to pick up two forbidden books when visiting the Sunset Temple to ask for advice and pray."
Thales sighed and ended his emotion.
"fortunately."
"Fortunately, you are a prince," Aixida looked at him faintly, "your identity is destined, you can't use these little tricks to embarrass yourself and ask for trouble."
Thales raised his eyebrows:
"very good."
Asheida nodded:
"Keep it."
"Keep a low profile and keep this habit," the magician said coldly, "never use it easily and never expose it actively. Sometimes I would rather go to more trouble and take two more steps to get a cup, so that no one can see any clues.
"
"Otherwise, you will be in trouble sooner or later."
Thinking of Sak'el, the watchman in the dungeon, Thales said depressedly:
"Thank you for reminding me, I understand deeply."
At this moment, a blue light flashed in Aixida's eyes:
"You're bleeding."
Thales was startled and stretched out his hand.
Oops.
"Oh, you know, it's been hot lately."
Thales rubbed his nose naturally, smiled, put his left hand covered with nosebleeds behind his back, and raised the invitation again with his right hand:
"So, do you still want it?"
He skillfully pulled out a handkerchief, sat back on the "chair", and showed an evil and bewitching smile:
"Want more?"
Asheida stared at him with interest, which made Thales a little uneasy.
After a few seconds, the magician snorted softly and returned to the topic that Thales was most concerned about.
"Freland did not participate in the End War, so she was classified as moderate by the radicals."
"But this division is not convincing, because Fryland is alienated from most of his colleagues."
At this point, the Qi Magic Master suddenly changed his topic:
"However, even an omnipotent being like B still respects her, or is afraid of her."
A magician that even B is afraid of.
Thales pressed his nose with a handkerchief while silently keeping these in mind:
"She's powerful?"
Asheida shook her head.
"'Powerful' cannot be considered an appropriate description. It is too general and pale, and has limited meaning."
"In other words, she is special?"
"Every magician is special," the magician's eyes flashed with strange light, "but Fryland, according to a senior, what she saw was even more wonderful."
The sensory magician is even more wonderful...
Thales couldn't help but think of what he saw in the Prison of Bones, and of Sak'el's trembling statement:
[In fact, she has lived longer than all of us in the Royal Guard combined...]
Asheida's words continued:
"In the final battle, the two emperors rose, the radicals were completely defeated, and the remaining magicians were hunted down one by one by the disaster hunters."
Thales' eyes flickered: "Disaster Hunter?"
"The first masters of the legendary anti-magic armed forces," Asheida explained softly, with a hint of displeasure in her tone, "Unlike now, at that time, the warriors who were given the weapons were focused and pure, with only one goal.
."
"But in comparison, Flelan received special treatment."
"What special treatment?"
Aixida paused for a second, her eyes showing caution and fear:
"Black Orchid and Blood Thorn, the two magic queens personally left the scene and went to hunt Frylan."
"What?" Thales was startled and put down his handkerchief.
The two emperors personally went to hunt...the sensory magician?
"So, Flelan, she survived the two emperors?"
Aixida nodded, her eyes deep.
"For the next seven hundred years, I disappeared without a trace, and for a time I thought that Fryland was in danger."
The magician raised his eyes and looked directly at Thales:
"Until she took the initiative to contact us."
"In other words, she tried to contact many people, but the only ones who really responded to her were me and Giza."
Thales' eyelids twitched:
"Contact you? For what?"
Asheida snorted softly.
"She has a plan, a plan to resist the two emperors."
Resistance... The Two Magic Emperors.
Thales swallowed his throat:
"what's the plan?"
Aixida looked into the distance with sharp eyes:
"Freland believes that even though most of the oldest royal family in the world are greedy, short-sighted mortals, as stupid as pigs, they hide some important secret."
Some important secret.
Thales clenched his fists as he remembered what the mercenary Ricky had said about "the greatest king" in the Prison of Bones.
"Thank you for your evaluation of our family," Thales looked serious, "What's the secret?"
Aixida smiled and said:
"You really want to know?"
Thales became alert:
"Wait a minute, you, you don't want to get out of class, do you?"
The magician smiled softly:
"Freland didn't say it, and I don't know either."
Thales was stunned for a moment before he reacted.
"What? Aren't you collaborators?"
Asheida shook her head:
"That's just Fryland's plan, but Giza and I both have other plans. We are three parties working together, but we each get what we need."
Thales was silent for a while, feeling helpless.
"So, you three are a small gang who don't understand each other and have their own agendas?"
What a great example of teamwork.
But Asheida didn’t care:
"This is the normal way for magicians to get along, and you should be happy for it."
"Why?"
"Because last time, more than two magicians gathered together," Asheida glanced at him, teasing with a hint of warning, "It was the end of the battle."
Thales pursed his lips and raised his hands.
forget it.
"But Frylan said that once she unlocks the secret," Asheida's eyes flashed with blue light, "the magic queens will have nothing to fear."
Unlock that secret...
The two emperors are nothing to be afraid of.
Thales thought of something and his breathing stopped slightly.
[A legendary anti-demon weapon with no trace of the Twin Emperors, no restrictions or taboos...]
[A secret weapon that can completely seal the blood thorn and black orchid...]
Thales tried to get rid of Ricky's words and the appearance of the red sword, and tried:
"So, just because of a 'secret' that Frylan didn't know to be true or false, you attacked my grandfather and ultimately brought about the Year of Blood?"
Aixida snorted coldly.
"First of all, we didn't bring that disaster."
"Secondly, as I said, we each get what we need."
"And all palace affairs, including the king's, are solely responsible for Fulelan. Giza and I have no right and no intention to interfere."
Thales narrowed his eyes:
"Intentionally interfering... doesn't it sound like your style?"
The magician shook his head:
"Yongxing City is not a fun place. As the political center of the Western Continent, more than one legendary anti-magic weapon is stored here. Not only is the magic power unable to take effect around it..."
Having said this, Asheida paused.
"You have also seen what happened the last time I entered Yongxing City."
Thales flattened his mouth:
"Don't worry, Yodel is not here."
Asheida glanced at him:
"I know, I tested it, otherwise I wouldn't show up."
Thales glanced at him with a complicated mood.
"So, since the Renaissance Palace is so dangerous and there are legendary anti-demon forces, how did Frylan succeed?"
The Qi Magician was silent for a while, as if thinking about the past.
"Mortal ways."
Aixida said quietly:
"She lurked in the world, and for several generations, she carefully and persistently observed, waited, and tested to find a way to penetrate the court of the stars. And this was not easy."
Thales nodded, then was surprised:
"Generations, wait, how long ago was this?"
Aixida was silent for a while and said slowly:
"When Frylan came to us, Red King John had just ousted his biological sister from power."
Red King John.
"John II, and his sister, Queen Elijah, who conquered the North," Thales' expression changed, "That was two hundred years ago?"
The magician snorted coldly:
"As I said, for us, there is no such thing as a long wait."
A two-hundred-year plan...
After being surprised, Thales sighed:
"So she succeeded after all, patient Fryland, or Queen Fiosa."
Speaking of this, Thales couldn't help but think of the watchman's words:
[Your Majesty... He has been deceived, hijacked, and controlled by the most evil existence in the world. 】
"She couldn't defeat the legendary anti-demon forces," Thales said in a daze, "but she defeated those who had the power to control them."
The study was quiet for a while.
"Freland's threshold is the senses," Esida seemed to be feeling something. "When it comes to bewitching people's minds and hiding the truth, no one in the industry can match her."
Thales said nothing, Sak'el's words still lingering in his mind:
[As early as thousands of years ago, before the empire collapsed, she was famous for her ability to manipulate people's hearts and create illusions.]
"Freland infiltrated the palace, what about you?"
Thales walked out of his memories and asked, "You and Giza, what did you do?"
Asida's ethereal eyes moved, and the blue light gathered again.
He was silent for a few seconds and then said:
"Freland knows that she is not here to lurk, but to act."
"Whether it is the legendary anti-magic forces in the palace, the disaster stories passed down by the major families for generations, the all-pervasive secrets of the kingdom, or the unknown top-secret methods of the Bright Star royal family, as the plan deepens and the goals become clearer, every step she takes
The closer the secret of magic power is, the more flaws will be exposed and suspicion will be aroused. This is inevitable."
"Yes." Thales agreed deeply.
For example, in the Prison of Bones, there is a former guard who likes to kill the prince with a knife.
"What's worse is that after the end of the war, the history of the magicians disappeared from the world due to the Purification Plan, which left us with nothing to hide: in a world of stagnant water, any abnormal disturbance is extremely conspicuous."
"According to experience, once a rumor such as 'There is a suspected magician appearing in a certain place' leaks out, Black Orchid and Xuethorn's minions, or even themselves, will follow the rumor and kill them all."
Aixida looked sharply:
"For this reason, she needs cover and diversion."
"And we can't just use the channels in the palace."
Thales thought for a while and then said:
"The Blood Bottle Gang?"
The magician nodded.
"It was originally a smuggling gang formed by a few desperate brewing workers on the border of the kingdom."
"But with the expansion of the Blood Bottle Gang, the legend about the two magic masters behind it began to spread on the streets. Coupled with several appearances in Giza to cause trouble, this was enough to arouse the vigilance of the kingdom and the church's senior officials, and even
Attract the attention of the Magic Queen lurking behind the scenes." Asheida said calmly.
Thales thought for a while and then reacted:
"You are using yourselves as bait to draw attention?"
He was surprised: "This is a big risk."
Asheida glanced at him.
"If the Blood Bottle Gang wants to plot a rebellion or coup, or even reveal the truth about the disaster and start a second end war, then yes."
The magician changed the subject:
"But what if the biggest purpose of this so-called 'Magic Master' gang is to control smuggled alcohol in an underground black market?"
"Those who are interested will suspect, test, and investigate, but all they can find is that this gang, which originated in the streets and is composed of traffickers and foot soldiers, has the biggest goal of dominating the market, seizing territory, smuggling contraband, and striving for fame and fortune."
"And the story they use to threaten and confuse the outside world, the so-called magic master behind the scenes, is even more absurd and full of errors. It has nothing to do with the disaster of annihilation. Maybe it was picked up from ancient books by a bootlegger.
It seems like that, maybe?”
Aixida said coldly:
"So, for more than a hundred years, through generations of agents, we continued to repeat the boring tricks of gangs and gangs, while spreading the false and untrue theory of the 'Magic Master'
Until it becomes a legend in the streets and alleys."
After hearing this, Thales came to some understanding and sighed:
"Then you succeeded. When I was a kid, I heard Rick, a beggar leader, say that when he got rich, he would hire two magicians to look after him as bodyguards."
"Then," Asheida said with a rare hint of jest, "he must be 'very' rich."
The next second, the magician's tone turned cold:
"In this way, although we are unable to tell the truth about the disaster, we can defeat the purification plan and awaken people's fear and opposition to the twin emperors..."
"But starting from the border of the kingdom, in the quagmire of the bottom far away from the powerful, we spread a layer of fog throughout the Western Continent: when the magician is mentioned in a joking or exaggerated tone time and time again, it becomes commonplace and difficult to distinguish the true from the false.
, we disappeared into the sea composed of countless people at the bottom, and successfully relaxed any possible vigilance and attention."
"In this way, when Flelan truly infiltrates the upper echelons of the palace and even takes control of the kingdom, doubts like 'The magician is plotting to steal the country' will be submerged among the people, 'The magician is ambitious to dominate the Red Square Street'" Blood Disaster
It is eclipsed by rumors such as the Black Gold Casino's "world-destroying disaster dominates the three major commercial streets"."
Thales understood the process and frowned.
Well, I have to say, this idea is quite interesting.
And he could even imagine the following scenario:
A spy comes to report to the Queen of Magic: According to reliable information, the terrible disaster that once tore the continent has returned, and an underground force, a private gang, has been secretly formed.
The two emperors were filled with murderous intent, and they drew their weapons and stood ready: What are they doing?
Answer: A group fight in the street.
Shuanghuang:......
The young man wiped his nosebleed:
What kind of world-destroying villain would do such a thing?
Magic masters are everywhere in the streets. Disasters are not as good as dogs written in books, but no one believes them. The power system is broken!
"So you have spent more than a hundred years just to use it as a cover?"
Aixida snorted coldly when she heard this:
"You should say: It only took us more than a hundred years to build a good cover."
Thales sighed:
"So? Fryland and you, have you got what you wanted?"
Asheida shook her head.
"what happens?"
The magician was silent for a while, with a deep look in his eyes: "I don't know."
"But I guess we were discovered anyway."
was discovered.
Thales' eyes moved.
"Overnight, Giza was attacked by legendary anti-demon forces in the City of Steel. He was dying and lost contact."
"The Kingdom of the Stars is beyond expectations. It escapes control. The royal family bleeds and the crown falls to the ground."
The royal family bleeds and the crown falls.
[Of course, it was also the ferry bell used by the Bright Star royal family to collectively go to the Prison River in the Year of Blood.]
Thales thought of the guard prisoners in the Prison of Bones, and felt complicated for a moment.
"Frelan was forced to leave Eternal Star City and even the kingdom before all the legendary anti-demon forces turned against her."
Aixida's eyes are sharp:
"And when I rushed to Fuxing Palace, I only saw corpses on the ground."
A pile of corpses.
Both of them were silent for a while.
"that's all?"
The prince took a deep breath, remembered what he saw in Xiacheng District a few months ago, and cautiously asked: "Then why did Black Sword say that you had massacred people at the gate of the palace?"
Palace entrance.
A mass killing spree.
Hearing this, the magician glanced at Thales, thoughtfully.
This glance made the prince nervous for no reason.
[Eighteen years ago, in this city... the magician of Qi, that immortal monster, was in front of Fuxing Palace...]
【Kill Constance.】
Maurice of the Brotherhood, the words he said loomed in Thales's ears.
"They regarded me as an enemy and attacked me brazenly," Aixida didn't care. "I naturally responded with bluntness and color."
Thales took a deep breath.
Respond with candor.
All right.
So……
"How were you exposed?"
Thales suppressed the sensitive question and asked another question: "What did Fryland do?"
"What happened to the Bright Star Royal Family? Why did it escape from your control?"
"Not sure."
Aixida shook her head, looking uninterested:
"As I said, Flanlan is responsible for all palace affairs."
"All we know is that the plan failed."
The magician looked out the window quietly:
"Toiled for a hundred years and gained nothing."
"The two emperors are still here."
"The power is greater than before."
Two emperors.
Thales chewed on these two words, feeling slightly depressed.
But he soon looked up again.
"You said that the Three Disaster Alliances each have their own agenda, but what about you and Giza? Why did you join?"
The young man sniffed and narrowed his eyes:
"It can't be to unify Hongfang Street?"
Asheida chuckled lightly.
"I don't know Giza's purpose, but based on my understanding of her..."
The magician paused for a moment, blue light flowing in his eyes:
"What she wants is definitely much more than what we, Frylan and I could have imagined."
He said quietly:
"Much more greedy, much more crazy, much more terrible."
"It's so unbelievable."
The study fell into silence again.
"how about you."
A few seconds later, Thales spoke again, staring at his guide:
"Qi Magic Master, why are you cooperating with them and reaching out to the Star Kingdom?"
Recently I made a lineage chart of the Bright Star royal family and posted it in the usual place.