The big clock at the top struck three times, and the whole palace echoed.
This bell has been passed down since the days of Aragon and is one of the important symbols of the kingdom. It will be rung every time there is an important event.
After three rings
A group of palace guards in costumes at the main entrance of the royal city slowly opened the door.
The palace guards' neat steps, gorgeous clothes, tall palace gates, and mighty imperial guards on both sides.
All of them show the majesty of the palace owner.
However, when the iron door was pushed, it made a tooth-breaking creaking sound, which seemed to be a sign of the decay of the dynasty.
"Enter!"
Outside the gate, tens of thousands of nobles and officials stood.
Although the Northland Army massacred nobles in the royal capital, their scope was mostly limited to the bloodline nobles, and their targets were mostly restless upper-class nobles.
Although a lot of people were killed, in the royal capital, a place where nobles roamed everywhere, the number was not even 10%.
Even though not all nobles were qualified to enter the palace to participate in the ceremony, there were still crowds of people in front of the palace gate.
As the palace door opened, everyone who had been standing outside the palace filed in in order.
Just to participate in such a grand event, these nobles not only did not look happy, but most of them looked worried.
Originally, being able to participate in the new king's enthronement ceremony was definitely an honor and a symbol of their status.
Under normal circumstances, they should hold their chins high at this time, bathe and change clothes, dress in costumes, and fully reflect the differences between themselves and those of the lower class.
But at this time, although everyone was dressed decently, most of them looked shrunken. Except for a few people, most of them had the same temperament as a group of frightened quails.
There is no other reason.
This new king is probably the most unstable one in the kingdom in hundreds of years.
In the past, new kings basically had the support of the dragon knights, the loyalty of the imperial guards, and their own team as a prince.
Usually there won't be any big trouble.
But now that His Highness Parley has succeeded to the throne, not only the dragon knight has become history, but there is also a great prince with heavy troops in the city of Clays not far from the golden dragon.
The nobles and ministers of the kingdom did not believe that the eldest prince who controlled the Iron Guard could recognize Parley as the king just like this.
Just the sudden and mysterious death of the king in his prime made the legitimacy of Parley's succession shockingly low.
Moreover, there are still a large number of foreign troops in the royal capital.
Even if the Praetorian Guards and Dragon Knights were bundled together when their combat power was still intact, they would not be a match for the Northern Army.
This northern army is completely outside the control of the royal family. A few days ago, they even kicked out the palace guards who were delivering orders, and they were extremely arrogant.
If the Northern King had any idea, the Northern Army stationed in the royal capital could immediately surround the palace.
It can also feed the nobles and officials participating in the ceremony, and the succession ceremony can instantly become the abdication ceremony of the Charlemagne family.
However, no matter what they think in their hearts, the Northern Army will not move. Prince Parley, who has just announced his succession, is the most powerful person in the royal capital. They are afraid of the Northern Army's sword, and they cannot refuse the sword in the hands of Parley.
's sharp blade.
One by one, they followed the crowd to the square of the palace and stood up to watch the ceremony.
A large number of palace guards wore ceremonial armor as a guard of honor and separated several cordons.
The royal flags of the Charlemagne family were flying everywhere in the square of the palace city, and it looked like that.
But in the eyes of the slightly older nobles, especially the nobles who had participated in Ren's succession ceremony.
There are only two words for this ceremony
Shabby
In the huge square, there were only 20,000 to 30,000 people including nobles, officials, and palace guards as guards of honor.
The large square, which can accommodate more than 100,000 people, has a lot of space, and the crowd seems sparse.
Not only some people from the royal capital have not been invited, but even the chief officials from various parts of the kingdom have not yet arrived.
The ceremonial armor worn by the king's flag and the palace guards was not newly made, but was in stock from the past. A sharp eye can see traces of use.
Anyone can feel the rush.
…
While Parley was holding a grand ceremony, several figures walked out of the portal in the south of the city.
The Northland Army soldiers who were on guard were startled at first, and instinctively put down their spears in a defensive movement.
However, when they saw the figure walking out of the portal clearly, they immediately put away their weapons, put their feet together, and their bodies that had already squatted down immediately stood up straight.
"Lord Richard!"
Then, as if a switch was pressed, the surrounding soldiers stood at attention and saluted.
"Um!"
Richard nodded and led the group of people behind him straight to the camp.
Following Richard were not only Sandru and other system heroes, but also a group of great demon warriors carrying giant blades.
These big demon warriors, nearly three meters tall, with bulging muscles and ferocious faces, felt an invisible sense of oppression just standing there.
Fortunately, the soldiers of the Northland Army were well-trained and did not suffer from any weakness in their legs or feet when faced with this group of oppressive red-skinned monsters.
"Captain, look at the group of guys behind Mr. Richard, do they look like the monsters that night?"
After Richard and the others had gone away, the Northland Army soldiers guarding the portal spoke in a low voice.
During the annihilation of the Buchan family, many elite Northland troops participated. They watched the demonized Marquis Buchan and Diabo who appeared later. Naturally, it can be seen that the group of big demons behind Richard
They are the same species.
"Don't look around and concentrate. Your command is not to let a mosquito pass by!"
The officer guarding the portal scolded him with a straight face. The soldier's expression tightened and he immediately turned his gaze back to stare at the portal.
Don't let a mosquito pass by, that's not even an exaggeration.
The soldiers of the Northern Army who can guard the portal at close range are all real elites. There are hundreds of knights on guard behind this circle of iron horses alone, and there are also a lot of big knights in the middle.
With concentration, and with their eyesight and perception, if a mosquito wants to cross the portal, it will definitely be discovered by them.
After scolding his soldiers, the officer also turned his furtive gaze back.
"How long has it taken for such a powerful creature to be tamed by Lord Richard?"
…
In a house in Nancheng, Jinlongdu
Many military generals from the North gathered in the spacious flower hall.
This luxurious mansion originally belonged to a bloodline noble in the royal capital. The previous owner had been physically eliminated by the Northland Army, so it was naturally requisitioned by the Northland Army at this time.
"Sir Richard, judging from the information gathered by Yusidu, His Majesty Ren most likely died at the hands of Prince Pare."
"possible?"
"I need more precise information!"
Richard was sitting on the main seat in the flower hall. Tai Ze and Yu Si were both the intelligence managers in the capital, reporting to Richard the recent situation in the capital.
A series of changes made Richard feel a little overwhelmed, and he became a little dissatisfied after figuring out the whole story.
For such a big thing, Yusi still uses "maybe" to describe it.
"Sir Richard, the black jail in the palace is keeping a close eye on it. It is difficult for our eyes to penetrate into the core area."
The chief officer of Yusidu was also aggrieved, although Yusidu had sufficient funds and the full support of Richard.
But the Royal Capital is, after all, the home of the Black Prison, the home base of this veteran intelligence organization that was established earlier than the Kingdom.
Although because of Ren's connivance, Black Prison did not take any targeted actions towards Yusidu's development in the capital.
But that doesn't mean they will tolerate Yu Sidu placing people in the palace confinement.
Several times, Yusi had just placed people in, but within a few days they were given gifts by people from the Black Prison. The Black Prison's advantage in the capital was still overwhelming.
Therefore, Yu Sidu is not much clearer about what is happening in the palace than the nobles of Golden Dragon City.
"That's all, where is the Messiah?"
Although Ren's death made Richard feel a little heavy, it was not too sad. Apart from this chaotic situation, the only thing in the capital that really worried Richard was the Messiah.
"That night, Madam was sent out of the palace by Parley. She was among the army and was absolutely safe."
"Did Parley take the initiative to send the Messiah out of the palace?"
Richard rubbed his head and placed his hand on the wooden table next to him. His fingers tapped the table unconsciously and rhythmically, making a soft sound.
Because of the lack of information, even Richard felt a little confused about the current situation.
When Parley launched a palace coup, the biggest unstable factor was not the Iron Guards not far away, but the currently unstoppable Northland Army.
Others don't know, but Richard, who has been doing business with Pare for so long, knows that this guy has made a lot of money in the south. Not only has he trained and won over a group of masters, he has also won over dwarves with the help of Richard.
A clan.
A great prince and the Iron Guard alone are definitely no match for Parley.
The only variable is Richard's attitude, and based on Richard's feelings for Messiah, Messiah is definitely a good card.
But Parley sent the Messiah back generously, with an upright look, which made Richard a little unsure of the situation.
“What’s the status of the Messiah?”
After thinking about it for a while, Richard turned his attention to the Messiah.
"Madam, I haven't eaten anything for the past two days. I only ate some cakes today."
"Sir, do you want to take a look? Madam knows that you are back, maybe she will feel better."
Renn may not be a loving father to his sons, but he is extremely fond of Messiah. Messiah and Renn also have a deep relationship. Renn's death is definitely a huge blow to Messiah.
of.
"No."
Richard hesitated for a moment and rejected the proposal.
Perhaps the Messiah should be left alone, and he should find out as soon as possible what kind of medicine is being sold in the Pare gourd.
What is the truth behind Lane's death?
After making the decision, Richard put his fingers together into a fist and gave the order with great energy.
"The army no longer needs to surround the portal. The Griffin Legion and the Silver Wing Legion have fully taken over the Golden Dragon City and will kill them if they encounter any resistance."
"The dragon army immediately marched towards the palace and no one was allowed to enter or leave the palace."
Originally, Richard asked the Northern Army to guard the portal because he was worried that a bunch of demons would emerge from the portal on the Golden Dragon City side and cause damage to this bustling city.
After all, the strength of demons is generally stronger than that of humans. A few middle-level demon tribes that come here can drink a pot of the current Golden Dragon Kingdom. Only the Northern Army in the entire Golden Dragon Kingdom has the strength to suppress this place.
But it's different now. The Southern Territory has become Richard's territory. The portal at one end of the abyss is guarded by demons who have taken refuge in Richard. There are many high-level demons among them, and they are a bit tighter than those guarded by the Northland Army. This
The Northern Army on the border will also be able to free up its hands.
"Wow!"
"Yes, sir!"
Richard gave the order, and the Northland Army generals and system heroes present immediately stood up to respond.
The system heroes were okay. Taize and Gru looked serious and showed no emotion.
But most of the generals of the Northland Army were already flushed with excitement.
Surround the palace
They have waited for this moment for too long.
Soon, the whole column of the Northern Army set off from the main camp, and then divided into several parts and headed in different directions in Jinlongdu.
The largest one followed Richard's footsteps and approached the royal city in the center of Golden Dragon City.
royal palace
The grand ceremony of Pare's enthronement is still going on.
It's just that the ceremony has been simplified to the extreme.
After everyone arrived, an official in charge of etiquette stood on the high platform and symbolically praised Parley.
Then Parley, wearing a bright yellow dress, walked out of the crowd.
I saw Pa Lei with a solemn look on his face, wearing formal clothes, and without the playful look when he was making jokes with Richard, he actually had the aura of a monarch.
Several tall guards in formal armor also walked behind Parley with their heads held high.
These people are not just show-stoppers, they are all masters of the earth level, which means it has become much easier to break through the earth knights in the past year or two.
A few years ago, a few strange earth knights were enough to make the nobles present marvel.
"Who are these people?"
It was normal for Parley and several earth knights in ceremonial armor to appear, but the group of people who followed made many nobles present feel uneasy.
A group of white robes followed closely behind Parley and others, and the young man at the head actually squeezed out several knights in ceremonial armor from behind.
"Um?"
Several earth knights seemed to have the intention to stop them, but were blocked by an invisible force. From an outsider's perspective, it seemed that several earth knights had lost their balance inexplicably and fell to the ground.
The guard closest to Parley subconsciously put his hand on the sword handle, trying to pull out the knight's sword from his waist. However, before he could use his strength, the hand holding the sword was pressed on the sword handle.
On the handle.
It was a palm as white as a baby, but it conveyed an irresistible power.
The guard guarding Parley was a master at the pinnacle of the earth level. It was no problem to control a charging bison with his bare hands. At this time, he couldn't even lift his hands.
"Stop it!"
Just when this earth-level guard wanted to activate his fighting spirit to fight.
