"Since the assassin's target is you... then who would want your life?"
"Your Majesty, please think about it," Thales's voice struck Zhan's heart like a hammer full of iron thorns: "Who knows what you were going to do that day and who you were meeting.
Your whereabouts?"
Zhan En breathed out a deep breath without showing any emotion, but the scene that day could not help but appear in his mind.
He saw that one of the people being assassinated was Gilbert, and in order to win people's hearts, he came to help.
Those assassins.
That boy.
And - knew he was going to be there, those people.
Thales said coldly, word by word: "Are they those who you think are your allies? Those who work together for a better star? Those who have promised you a bright future?
"
Thales turned his head and sighed: "Yes, among those who are qualified to sit on the throne, you are the youngest, the best image, the most popular, and the most likely candidate - they also follow the same
Did you say that?"
The breathless crowd finally began to make noise.
Everyone in the field had different reactions to Thales' performance.
Behind Count Karabiyan, the young police officer Cohen stared at the boy in surprise.
He...is really only six or seven years old?
When I was seven years old... Forget it.
To avoid being sad.
But the tree wants to be still but the wind doesn't stop.
Old Count Karabiyan turned his head and looked at Cohen and then Thales with a scrutinizing gaze.
Under Cohen's increasingly doubtful expression, the old count's eyes returned several times.
Finally, the old earl looked at Cohen, sighed in disappointment, and then turned his head to look at Thales.
Cohen, who was left with an innocent look on his face, suddenly realized what he was doing, and then lowered his head in frustration.
Old man, what's the matter with you?
You can't compare people to each other like this!
"Black Prophet" Morat exhaled softly and looked at Thales with complicated expressions.
Previously, it seemed that he had been underestimated.
The notorious head of the secret service quietly said to Raphael behind him:
"This child...is really unexpected...if he is the king you want to serve in the future..."
"The advantage is that you can save a lot of worry, but the disadvantage is that you can't worry."
Faced with these seemingly contradictory words, Raphael nodded solemnly.
He understood.
King Kessel V looked at his son with twinkling eyes. He turned his head slightly and whispered to Jini beside him:
"Have the child learned eloquence and speech from Gilbert, or reasoning and observation from you?"
"No," Ji Ni looked at the boy who was explaining calmly in the center of the field, and showed a smile that was both bitter and gratifying: "That child is special."
"It's quite special," Kaiser V thought deeply for a while, then hummed softly, with a look of sadness and complexity on his face: "Yes."
"Just like his mother."
Jinni's face froze.
Kessel's eyes returned to Thales.
"enough!"
Coster angrily hit the Thresh Throne's gauntlet, interrupting Thales's words. He looked angrily at Kessel, who had a playful look in his eyes: "Your Majesty, the farce should be over... Our main topic is..."
"The Cyclops of South Trist! Why are you so anxious?"
Everyone turned their heads and were surprised to see that the person who spoke was the Duke of the North!
Val raised his head coldly: "Could it be that if you continue to listen to what he says, it will be detrimental to you?"
Coster was speechless for a moment.
"And you, the old bones of Falkenhauser," Val's eyes were filled with fire. He turned his head and looked at the man with a haggard appearance and a terrifying face, and spoke with profound meaning and extremely sharp words:
"Under such circumstances, you didn't gloat or make any sarcasm. It's really rare."
"Thank you for reminding me, I was just about to speak, haha..." Cyril Falkenholz, who was a moment slower, pointed at Zhan, who looked very ugly, and laughed.
But only those who know him best know that at this moment, he smiled a little dryly: "It seems that you have been tricked, you little young Duke!"
"As for you, Duke Cullen, our Prime Minister," Val looked at the fat Duke opposite and said disdainfully: "You are still as stable as ever."
Duke Cullen responded with a simple smile.
Zhan clenched his fists, maintained his remaining grace, and tried his best not to look at those people.
Those few people.
If, if I die...who among those people will benefit? He couldn't suppress the doubt in his heart and began to think about these things.
"Okay, kid," Zhan, who had a rather pale face, tried his best to smile and said feebly: "No matter what you said, there is no evidence..."
"Your Majesty the Duke!"
Thales looked at the young Duke with indifferent eyes, deliberately avoiding the "evidence" issue, and deliberately guiding his and the audience's thinking: "What is your status in that group that aims at the throne?"
"Yeah, it doesn't make sense. There is more than one person in your group. If you are killed, everyone will be in danger, and the alliance will break up."
"Why did the person behind the scenes want to assassinate you and do things to sabotage the plan?"
"Unless," Thales sighed again: "There is a more terrifying possibility."
Zhan En closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly.
He is not a fool.
"That is, everyone else in the group knows that you are destined to be sacrificed," Thales walked around Zhan, pretending to be sympathetic, and patted the head of the Iris family.
Shoulder:
"Your death is part of the plan - you are the one who was betrayed, the only abandoned son."
"That's right. You are young and promising, have superb means, have a rich family background, and have high popularity. If you ascend to the throne, even if it is a throne with a king-elect system, within a few years, Kevin Dill will become another shining star.
The royal family has begun to check and balance the lords - and even if you fight for life, you can live longer than all of them."
"Then what difference does it make if they change the royal family or not?"
"The owner of the tricolor iris was assassinated in the royal capital. The nobles will only become more frightened, the pressure of the war will only become heavier, the accusations suffered by His Majesty will only be greater, and the conspiracy to force an heir may be more successful."
"That crown will also be placed on the head of the person they like more."
Zhan En's expression was indifferent, but everyone could see that his eyes had not moved for a long time.
"You were already betrayed before you put on that crown." Thales shook his head funny like a little adult: "After all, you are still too young and make careless friends."
"They probably borrowed a lot of power from you and the Kevin Dill family and have been preparing for a long time, but no matter what they promised you," Thales walked back to Kessel and said coldly: "Nothing.
Ready to cash in."
"Please think carefully and reconsider your position. You are a smart man. Who would you rather choose as your ally? Who will be the king and will be most beneficial to the prosperity of the iris?"
Zhan didn't speak anymore, nor did he look at Thales. He just stared at the ground in front of him, seeming to be particularly interested in the texture on the floor tiles.
At this time, Thales suddenly turned around.
He shouted strangely to the lords on the stone throne:
"do not move."
Many lords frowned.
Thales' gaze carefully scanned everyone's face, seemingly not letting go of every pore.
He said coldly: "Don't move. Those accomplices who betrayed Zhan En, don't turn your head, don't shift your gaze, look into my eyes... I can smell your guilt and fear from your expressions."
Zhan En also quickly raised his head and looked at the lords.
The breathing of some lords stagnated in an instant!
But the next moment, Thales suddenly relaxed.
He spread his hands and said with a smile:
"Don't be nervous."
"I'm just kidding."
Some of the lords took a breath and looked at Thales, either gritting their teeth secretly or clenching their fists tightly.
Did he do it on purpose?
"But you will understand after seeing the example of Iris," Thales looked at the lords and replied with a serious expression:
"Once the shining star is extinct, no matter if any other wealthy family or noble family ascends to the throne, whether it is before or after the throne, whether it is fragile or strong, the new royal family will eventually become the next target of the lords."
"Without external enemies, you will kill each other on an unbalanced balance of power until the stars are destroyed."
"I don't care who among you planned this conspiracy, this plan, nor who wants the throne - after all, in the eyes of many people, since the death of the royal family is a foregone conclusion, they naturally have to choose the future that best suits their own interests.
.”
"But, I'm standing here now."
"For the stability of the stars, and for your own benefit."
"The survival of the Bright Star royal family is the stability of the stars and the greatest hope."
"Everyone, for the sake of everything, please support Bright Star and me like your ancestors did."
The crowd's chatter became louder and louder, and many people began to applaud.
As if by coincidence, cheers came from the square one after another - I don't know where the guards passed the words in the hall.
Thales did not look at the expressions of the lords. In fact, he enjoyed it more and imagined their expressions by himself.
Gilbert finally took a deep breath and whispered to Thales who came back:
"It's really... impressive, young sir."
"The iris has lost its threat amid suspicion and suspicion, and the power of the giant-horned deer has been greatly reduced."
"But are you so sure that those assassins were going for the iris?" Gilbert lowered his head and asked quietly.
"Of course I'm not sure," Thales showed him a smile, looking at Zhan who was bowing his head in thought in the distance and no longer speaking, his eyes were shining brightly:
"But he doesn't know, does he?"
"In everything, we must focus on the key points - what is important is not the assassins, but that Zhan saw those assassins with his own eyes."
Feeling the solemn gaze from King Kessel V, Thales, who was quite stressed, tried his best to maintain his breathing and said briskly:
"Just like just now, what matters is not whether my identity can be recognized, but who is unwilling to recognize my identity."
"I still want to say that although you are very happy, what you just did is not a wise way to govern." Under Thales's doubtful eyes, Gilbert could only sigh and whispered: "What will you do next?"
understandable."
"Enough with the nonsense!"
"This makes no sense!"
The one-eyed dragon full of resentment, the Duke of Nantry slapped the stone seat fiercely and glanced at the audience oppressively: "Have you forgotten? Until now, he has not proven his identity!"
"Your Majesty has had no heirs for twelve years, and a six- or seven-year-old child suddenly pops up and says he is a descendant of the royal family?"
"Still speaking nonsense at the national conference..."
"Duke Coste de Nantry, why are you still struggling with my identity?" Thales sighed and interrupted him loudly: "Don't you understand? My father has prepared everything a long time ago.
"
Thales raised his head slightly and showed an innocent smile.
"I thought that a hypocrite like you, who cares about the country and its people, would be extremely happy to see the bloodline of Canxing return."
An ominous feeling came over the one-eyed dragon.
At this moment, the crowd started to make noise again.
There are new people entering the Hall of Stars.
Thales turned his head and his eyes lit up.
A graceful and charming lady, wearing a dark sacrificial robe with half a red sun, walked slowly out of the passage forcibly separated by the guards, accompanied by a nervous little girl.
Many civilians knelt down devoutly and bowed their heads in prayer to the lady.
The moment the nobles saw the half red sun, many of them already understood something.
"Very good," Falkenhausz narrowed his eyes: "The king, nobles, gods, and the three pillars of the stars have all come together."
The moment the Duke of the North saw the coming person, his pupils shrank sharply and he couldn't help but lean forward.
"From now on, be careful with your words and actions," Count Karabiyan stuck out his head solemnly, and whispered to his wife and nephew, Count Dele Colomo, who was also shocked at this moment: "Things are out of the control of the lords.
Already."
"I'm afraid, the gods are also involved."
Under the gaze of everyone, the human spokesperson of the Sunset Goddess and the chief priest of the Sunset Temple, Lithia Arende, gracefully stepped onto the stone seat area.
"Li Xiya." Val Arend was stunned. His originally lonely expression gradually became complicated after seeing his sister.
After so many years...
But the chief priest didn't look at his brother, and just walked forward slowly.
Coster's face was ugly. He wanted to exchange a look with Zhan En as usual, but found that Zhan En's eyes were cold and he didn't even look at him.
The one-eyed dragon felt bitter in his heart.
"Grand Priest Li Xiya," Kessel V stood up solemnly: "Sunset Temple, the spokesperson of the goddess."
"The authority of the king, the oath of the nobles, and the testimony of the gods - these are the three most important proofs when the country is founded by stars."
"Today, more than six hundred years later, please let the Sunset Goddess still witness the continuation of the Star King's lineage."
The whole hall was in uproar again.
Li Xiya, expressionless, bowed and nodded slightly.
But she didn't answer immediately. Instead, she knelt down and closed her eyes.
Thales looked curiously at the high priest who didn't like him very much.
Is this communicating with God?
But suddenly, an unspeakable feeling hit Thales' heart, making him very uncomfortable.
A sound like tinnitus suddenly sounded!
"Beep——"
He was startled, resisting the urge to cover his ears with his hands, and looked left and right.
But the people in the hall, whether they were nobles or commoners, did not say a word, nor did they show any impatience.
Could it be...
Until the tinnitus disappears.
Everyone around me is normal.
It seemed like he was the only one hearing the tinnitus?
Travelers have never known what kind of existence the gods in this world are.
but now……
Thales had one more doubt in his mind.
After a while, Li Xiya gently opened her eyes, stood up and said, "The goddess agreed, Your Majesty."
Duke Cullen sighed.
He already knows the outcome of the matter.
Kousted clenched his fists tightly, his single eye shining with cold light.
Falkenholz laughed dryly.
Zhan, on the other hand, looked thoughtfully at Thales, who was the center of attention.
Kaiser V nodded slightly.
He suddenly grabbed Thales' hand!
The traveler was shocked!
"Follow me," Kessel said without any doubt, "your bloodline should be visible to the entire star."
Thales was dumbfounded and allowed Kessel V to pull him, walking down the round platform surrounded by stone seats and walking towards the terrace next to the Star Gathering Square.
To be honest, he was really not used to it.
Maybe it's because, from the bottom of his heart, he still doesn't regard this strong man as his father?
The noble lords on the other nineteen stone seats stood up one after another and followed the king and his son to the wide terrace. Many surrounding small and medium-sized nobles also wanted to follow, but were mercilessly forced by the guards' anti-collision shields and electric shock batons.
Went back.
Thales walked to the terrace and looked down.
It was afternoon and the weather was just right.
He immediately held his breath.
people.
So many people!
Densely packed people!
The entire Xingju Plaza was packed with people!
At least tens of thousands!
Like ants, covering the entire ground below him!
It's not like Thales has never been to Xingju Square. He has also stood in the square and looked up at the magnificent Fuxing Palace.
But he has never stood on the terrace of the Hall of Stars in the Fuxing Palace, overlooking the entire Xingju Square!
Even those who have traveled through two lifetimes can't help but open their mouths when they see this scene.
Soon, people in the square noticed two more people vaguely appearing on the terrace.
After confirming that it is the king and his bloodline.
Unprecedented cheers erupted from the crowd in the square!
"King—King—"
"Bright Star——Long live——"
"Stars—stars—"
"Did you see it?" Kessel still held his hand and said slowly: "These are our subjects, our burden, and our responsibility."
The High King asked with deep meaning: "Are you ready to be born for the stars?"
Before Thales could answer, Li Xiya walked up with a cold face.
The young female priest seemed very nervous. At Li Xiya's signal, she tremblingly brought a plate with a precious dagger on it.
"Bloodline ritual?"
Duke Cullen was supported by two attendants. After walking to the terrace, he shook his head: "This is a ceremony that has not been used in the past two hundred years. When was the last time? Prince Keira's bloodline recognition ceremony?"
No one answered him.
The Duke of the North on one side looked blankly at his sister whom he had not seen for many years.
However, Li Xiya didn't even look at him.
The charming high priest walked slowly between the king and Thales.
Under the attention of the entire square, Kessel gently picked up the dagger, cut his left index finger open, and put the dagger back.
The sacrificial girl brought the plate to Thales. She was only eleven or twelve years old, but it seemed that it was her first time to come to such a highly anticipated occasion, and she was so nervous that she was trembling.
"Don't be nervous, it's okay." Thales smiled at her, picked up the dagger with the red sun mark, and cut open the palm of his left hand.
Li Xiya stretched out her hands expressionlessly and grabbed the king and Thales respectively.
Then she raised her head.
It was completely different from the lengthy prayer ceremony that Thales had expected.
Because the next moment, Li Xiya's eyes burst out with the same bright light as in the stone house!
The people on the terrace and behind the terrace who were vying to watch suddenly became quiet. More civilians began to kneel down and close their eyes to pray in front of the light in the center of the terrace.
The light is getting stronger and stronger!
Even the people in the square began to see clearly in the daylight!
The square was almost filled with civilians who had no right to enter the Hall of Stars.
Almost everyone in the square knelt down devoutly and began to pray in the direction of the Fuxing Palace overhead.
The devout kneeling of the believers caused the entire Star Gathering Square to change color and surge like waves when viewed from the terrace of the Hall of Stars.
But Thales didn't have the energy to see this spectacle.
The time traveler was surprised to see that the blood on his and Kessel's hands was floating under the light in the eyes of the high priest!