Kingdom’s Bloodline

"Blood of the Kingdom ()" Find the latest chapter!

According to the later records of "A Brief History of Dusky Star", in the 679th year of the end of the calendar, Thales Canxing, the second son and heir of the Iron Fist King, who was known as the "Polaris" at the time, escaped from the sinister hostage life through complicated political mediation, and was taken by the North. The local princes were sent out of the country and returned to the Kingdom of Stars, and were immediately canonized as Dukes of Xinghu Castle.

(There is also a saying that the people in the north were unwilling to let the prince go, and the latter escaped in embarrassment after killing a bloody road, but he was separated from his followers and had to cross the desert alone and return to the country with the help of the orc tribe, but this saying The source of this is the folk bards and tribal songs circulated in the independent state of Caligris and the surrounding area of ​​Sabah City. It is more like a literary interpretation full of passion and fantasy by poets. It has neither logic nor evidence, so it is not credible. )

On November 2 of the same year, the Duke of Thales attended the imperial meeting for the first time in records and officially participated in the politics of the kingdom.

The stakes of this meeting are high, mainly to solve two thorny issues:

First, there was a vicious accident that offended the royal family: a country squire from the Western Wilderness who was heavily in debt and had nowhere to go broke into (one said he was invited into) the Mindis Hall. At that time, Polaris was having a banquet. He drew his sword to intimidate the guests, and accused the royal family of harming the ministers of the Western Wilderness. Although the uninvited guest in the Western Wilderness was finally killed by the Duke of Thales ("Your Highness's courage is not inferior to the kingdom's wrath." Earl Godwin who was present was so emotional to his sons after the event), but this incident discredited the royal family and made the royal family even more embarrassed. The government and the public were shocked, and rumors were flying.

The second is an even worse political event: a few months ago, headed by Viscount Lugo of Xizhanbao (now Sidian District of Fusha City), the insatiable vassals of the Western Wilderness, in order to monopolize the desert trade route, did not hesitate to spread rumors and slander them, and forced them to leave Known as the "Legendary Wing", it represents the royal family and guards Marshal Williams of the Saber Camp (Note: Today's Castle Community Ruins Park in the western suburbs of Saber City). Only one month later, without the support of the standing army, the princes of the Western Wilderness, whose military discipline was lax, were attacked by bone men and orcs (one said that they were sand robbers who pretended to be their own people and sneaked into the camp), and almost lost Saber Dune. Viscount Ge and his two sons were killed on the spot. Fortunately, Marshal Williams garrisoned not far away and led the army back to help in time. Although he despised the noble character of the Western Wilderness, he still ignored the previous suspicions to help the friendly army, defend the front line and expel foreign enemies, so as to ensure that the border was not lost.

Two things, one more shocking than the other (not to mention that they happened at the same time), there is no doubt that the arrogant and domineering attitude of the princes of the Western Wilderness gave the Canxing royal family a blow, as a gift to congratulate their father and son reunion.

And the whole kingdom is waiting for the reaction of the Fuxing Palace.

It is said that the imperial meeting lasted a whole day from morning to late night, and the imperial ministers had serious disagreements at the meeting:

Military adviser Thord Red believed that these two incidents were proofs of the ineffective rule of the princes of the Western Wilderness and the despise of the royal family. "Records of Famous Officials and Generals at the End of the Era" written by Dr. Il) was an imperial envoy of the royal family and sent troops to the deserted ruins (now the duke area of ​​Fusha City) to ask the vassals of the Western Wilderness headed by the Duke of Falkenhaus for their crimes and hold them accountable. He does not hesitate to fight to build up his prestige and to imitate others. People who hold similar opinions with him include the Minister of Commerce and Trade and the Faith Advisor.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister, Duke Bob Cullen, was more willing to believe that these two incidents were just accidents, and he was worried about the possible adverse consequences of the move. The Chief Financial Officer, Joker Mann, lacked confidence in the budget for the expedition, and the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry was also unwilling. The militarism affected production, and all three firmly opposed the radical views of the military adviser. The strange thing is that this time, the respected 'Sly Fox' Ka Suo, who has always supported the king in attacking local vassals, is also on their side.

As one of the parties involved, the young Duke of Thales wanted to make an impact at the meeting, but he soon discovered that the imperial officials, including his teacher, Count Caso, didn't care about this six-year confinement in the north. A brat who holds the false title of Duke of Xinghu and sits in front of the imperial court.

Seeing my own people speak lightly,

The Duke of Xinghu was extremely disappointed, so he left his seat halfway and left the palace.

The imperial council continued, and the divided ministers disagreed and quarreled fiercely, and Kessel V was disturbed ("I can tell you that the king is not happy-quite, very, special, very , not happy." wrote Lord Clapham, then Minister of Agriculture and Livestock in a private letter), and even had to interrupt the meeting several times.

Until dusk, the Duke of Thales returned to the Fuxing Palace.

This time, he brought a sword.

At first, no one understood the Duke’s intentions, and even the royal guards guarding the court were terrified (“The Duke returned at night with his sword in hand, and the guards were all frightened.” —— "Watching Secret Records: Mallos"), but this Once, Polaris at least attracted the attention of the imperial court and made them listen to him patiently. The military adviser Thoreau commented: "His serious look reminds me of Prince Horace."

What happened during this period is unknown to the historians of later generations, but many people believe that it was with this family heirloom sword of the Falkenhauser family that the prince proved his influence on Xihuang, and he successfully persuaded the king and Ministers, and allowed him to deal with the crisis in a more ingenious way (compared to sending troops westward).

The Fuxing Palace quickly sent a letter written by the Duke of Thales to the ruins, namely the "Book of Announcement to Cyril" (now in the Museum of Meri Hixal University, one page of the original is missing).

The Duke of Xinghu wrote this letter with sincerity, neither humble nor overbearing. He not only reviewed his friendship with several old friends in the Western Wilderness, but also mentioned the royal family’s standing garrison in the Western Wilderness. Scholars provided important evidence), and also gave special thanks to Duke Cyril Falkenhauser for the gift of the sword, except that the accidents at the Blade Camp and the banquet were not mentioned.

Scholars in later generations have many interpretations of this letter. It is generally believed that the Duke of Thales carefully selected his wording and content. Every word, including the degree of rhetoric, is intentionally polished information. While secretly threatening, he also analyzed the situation in Xihuang. He was well-organized and unique. Most importantly, he pointed out his intentions in a blank manner.

("It is impossible for Duke Cyril not to know the seriousness of those two matters. He must be ready to bargain, but the more the Duke of Xinghu keeps his word, the more uneasy and frightened he is. Although on paper It is the highest state of diplomacy to speak loudly without saying anything.”——Dr. T.D.

Anyway, that letter worked.

The court staff of the Fusha Palace, Baron Van Cleigh Guz, said that the Duke of Xihuang "thought for a long time" after reading this letter. Soon, under his leadership, the princes of the Western Wilderness, who had always been rebellious, bowed their heads and admitted their mistakes. Ineffective in ruling, he apologized for the accident at the Saber Camp and the injustice suffered by Marshal Williams, and even took the initiative to ask the Fuxing Palace to send troops to Xihuang, and completely bowed down to the royal power of King Kessel V.

No conflict and no bloodshed, the successful handling of the Western Wilderness crisis has greatly enhanced Thales Canxing's political status and given him a solid place in the Imperial Council.

If it is said that the reputation of the Duke of Thales was only limited to the "distressing little prince" in the mouths of the common people (due to the intelligence performance at the meeting and the experience of the northern kingdom), after this incident, from nobles to officials , from the vassals to the princes, the entire kingdom has the impression that "the Duke of Xinghu is capable of government and can be worthy of great responsibility".

The king's heir is highly popular, which objectively consolidates the weak (some scholars believe it is a solid foundation, but high-handed) rule of the Canxing royal family, and makes the enemies who are ready to move put away their excess ambitions.

But history is not so simple.

In fact, the strong rise of the Duke of Xinghu has caused dissatisfaction among many people, including many important figures in the Western Wilderness Crisis at the Imperial Council who have devoted themselves to governing the country and assisting the government for many years, but in the end they are not as good as a young man who has been imprisoned in the north for many years Man, it makes them look bad.

What's more, as soon as this case was opened, the affairs of the imperial meeting were unexpectedly taken over by the Duke of Xinghu by privately reporting to the king, which directly affected the authority and status of the royalists in front of the king.

(“I don’t want to disclose the specifics, but I can tell you that when the prince walked in, none of us dared to even breathe.” Joker Mann, then the treasurer at the time, once said so.)

More importantly, most of the Royalist Party came from the new nobles. They believed that the Duke of Xinghu stood with the old princes on many matters (such as land and tax policies), which fundamentally endangered their interests.

And this is not out of thin air:

The gentle and effective handling of the Western Wilderness crisis has indeed made Polaris win the hearts of many local princes. Many people began to bring disputes and problems (that the king would not understand before) to the Mindis Hall where the Duke is, hoping to get the same satisfactory It was resolved, and the facts did not meet their expectations. The Duke of Thales is a good dancer, always able to take care of many aspects, withstood the overwhelming pressure from the king and the imperial meeting, and was very charismatic, gently appease the many dissatisfaction of the local vassals.

As a result, the reputation of the Duke of Xinghu grew day by day, and Mindis Hall soon became a must-go place for foreign vassals to visit the capital. One of the protagonists of the crisis in the Western Wilderness, Count Lewis Bozdorf of Heroes of Soul Castle, even sent his heirs to By the side of the Duke of Xinghu, I hope he will follow the Duke and succeed in his studies.

At that time, a country estate knight who went to the city to deal with affairs said to a friend of his who was struggling: "Don't worry, there is nothing in this world that cannot be solved... If there is, then go to the Fuxing Palace. If yes, then go twice... If not, then go to Mindis Hall."

How Polaris thinks about it, whether his actions are really sympathetic to the local princes, or whether he is ambitious to gain fame, is unknown to future generations. But in any case, Duke Xinghu’s behavior not only earned him fame, but also taught him to be feared by others, until these fears converged into a stream, turned into slander and suspicion, and flocked to the highest point of the Fuxing Palace-Kessel V.

The historical evaluation of later generations is not lacking in the discussion and criticism of the personal character of the Iron Fist King. They believe that the king's indifferent and stubborn character is the main reason that hinders him from maintaining a good relationship with his son. If King Kessel V can be less rude, tough and suspicious, Instead, he and the Duke of Xinghu openly and sincerely understand each other, and when the kingdom is undergoing changes, many conflicts between the central and local governments (including the previously mentioned crisis in the western wilderness, including the turbulent waves of the Iris family) may be resolved under the cooperation of the father and son. With concerted efforts, it was easily solved.

Unfortunately, there is no if in history.

Beginning in the spring of 680, sinister rumors such as "Two stars rule the country, see the big from the small" appeared in the capital of the Star King, and some illegal underground gambling stalls even launched a "how long can the king live" gambling market.

Unfortunately, in the summer of 680 in the Ending Calendar, under the combined effect of various factors, the Duke of Thales, who had reached the age of fifteen, was ruthlessly exiled from Eternal Star City by King Kessel V.

————

After a day of shock, the Prince's Mindis Hall was finally released, and the Star Lake guards were also released from custody, so Thales could at least have a place to go home and sleep.

Although the Fuxing Palace tried its best to block it, the rumors that the Duke of Xinghu broke into the palace at night and broke up with the king and his son inevitably spread throughout the capital.

Regarding what happened to His Royal Highness in the Fuxing Palace that day, the remaining members of the Xinghu Guards were both surprised and puzzled (especially after they were interrogated for six hours by the flag wing, and then retreated in a hurry), and the rumors heard from everywhere were chaotic. It was unbearable, so D.D, Glover and others who used to "follow His Highness up the mountain of swords and down into the sea of ​​fire" suddenly became popular, and were sought after everywhere ("Of course I understand, otherwise, cough cough, sorry, I want Keep a secret for the prince.” —— D.D, who is touching his butt, with a face of humiliation), except for Jenny who can’t speak in the stable, even the newcomer Rolf was handed a note.

But as the rumor spread, the wind direction changed so quickly, the Mindis hall was still full of singing and dancing the night before, but the next day it became a vacuum forbidden place in Yongxing City that no one approached.

The police officers and patrols who have always been on duty nearby and enthusiastically shouldered the transportation duties were also completely evacuated on the third day. Mallos had to send some spare guards (D.D was angry about this) and The servants went out every week to purchase supplies for their living, but even the servants in Mindis Hall had many resigned due to various reasons.

The boulevard outside the manor used to be bustling every day, where everyone hung their necks and wanted to take a look at the prince, but now it is deserted.

It was not until the next day that I received the news. Jine, who had rushed back from outside the city, learned of what had happened (outside Ballard), so she rushed to the Mindis Hall and was furious, thinking that Thales' actions were reckless and impulsive, self-righteous, with His stupid father was no different (on hearing this, Majoros dismissed everyone in a hurry).

"We just fell apart." Thales could only touch his new ring, smile at the same time, and asked Mallos to send someone (D.D was aggrieved by this) to send away the disappointed and unbelievable Ginny .

"You can fool other people, but you can't fool me!"

When the court lady left, her expression was furious, Thales had no choice but to hide with her head in her arms:

"I'll figure it out, whichever coward's mouth I'm about to rip!"

It is said that after that, Baron Quentin, the head of the palace of the Fuxing Palace, took a two-week sick leave.

After Cohen returned home, there was no further news, until Kongmuto inquired from his acquaintances in the security department and found out that Director Robick of the West City Security Department heard about Cohen's feat and was furious and asked him to suspend him for self-reflection. As a result, Cohen He reminded the director in a low voice that he was already on suspension, and the director was so angry that he announced his reinstatement on the spot, and when Cohen was smiling, he transferred the latter's post to the road maintenance department at the West Gate—it didn't last long, because Cohen was in He broke the head of a foreign nobleman with a broom at the gate of the city, and was suspended by the director again amidst the begging and gratitude of his colleagues in the road maintenance department.

The prince's studies were still going on, but Gilbert resigned from his teaching duties due to heavy government affairs. Thales was silent for a long time, but Wyatt breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, several teachers who worked in the Royal Academy also resigned. Baron Quentin had to post advertisements all over the city to recruit bachelors, but there were still very few applicants. In the end, the highly respected Bachelor Bona came forward and "invited" in the academy. Several of his own students came to teach the prince.

Thales didn't know what happened to the rumors outside, but he didn't care much about these things.

He knew that all this was destined to happen.

And he has more pressing tasks.

In the name of the Duke of Xinghu, Thales wrote a letter hastily, and without even reading it a second time, sent it to the Fuxing Palace and sent it to Falkenhauser in the ruins—he grabbed the sword , I have done what I can do, now, it's the other party's turn.

Lord Cyril's reaction did not disappoint him.

Falkenhauser wrote back first, admitting his fault: If Baron Williams hadn't rescued in time, Xihuang would have almost lost the important town of the kingdom. For this reason, he asked the royal family to send an additional standing army to the western front to "guidance defense", and he was willing to donate part of the tax revenue as military funds to guard the territory and make up for the crime.

I don't know what the Duke of West Wilderness has done. Since him, within a month, Bozdov of Heroic Soul Fort, Chromar of Wing Fort, and many Western Wilderness princes have written to plead guilty, not only to Fuxing Palace, but also to In the Saber Camp, Baron Williams' gradually expanding barracks, guests and gifts are also coming in an endless stream.

In response, King Kessel wrote back generously: I am very relieved to be loyal to the country. If there is a mistake, correct it. What is the crime? Frontier defense must be done with care, and the newly formed army should start as soon as possible.

As for the Saber Ya camp, it is said that Wing of Legend, who has never tired of tiresome troubles, waved his hand: The ceremony is accepted, the person stays, and the prison cell is exchanged for the ransom.

Along with Falkenhauser's letter, there was also a bundle of high-quality carriage bridle ropes that Mr. Cyril named and gave to Duke Thales, with a letter saying "Seiko-made, high-quality, durable, and powerful to save lives".

According to Wyatt's attendant, His Highness liked the bridles very much, and cherished them so much that they were not even allowed to be stored in the treasury.

A few weeks later, the logistics wing reported to Mallorth that the sewage channel of Mindis Hall was blocked by a piece of tattered rope, and the watchman had to send someone (D.D was very angry about this) and worked hard for a whole hour to unclog it .

As for the debt dispute between Bailar and the Doyle family at the royal banquet, the results of the settlement were soon announced:

With the full cooperation of Xihuang, the Court of Aristocratic Affairs, the Department of Finance and Taxation, and the Court of Justice jointly reiterated the case and ruled that the Doyle family illegally lent money and occupied land, but the Bailar family could not escape the guilt, and the judge ordered both parties to bear the responsibility. losses, and reach a repayment ratio that is acceptable to each other within the scope of each other's capabilities.

As for Anke Bailar, who rebelliously offended the royal family at the banquet, he was taken to the prison of bones after being deprived of his inheritance rights, and was imprisoned for life. Thales could only attach letters, from the Duke of Xihuang to the legendary wing, etc. People took care of him (he was very confident in the former, but he simply gave up on the latter, leaving only one sentence "for the sake of Ricky and the key").

Thales originally thought that this matter would come to an end, but he obviously underestimated the impact of the matter.

Within a few weeks, the Mindis Hall was bustling again—the guests who came were no longer people from the Central Territory, but foreign vassals, officials and even ordinary civilians who could afford the travel expenses all over the country.

It’s okay to meet tactful ones, at least they know to ask for a report or send an invitation first, and then wait for a response, but more people rushed in in a daze, with the weight of the sky falling, in the battle with the Xinghu guards. During the wrestling (D.D was indignant about this), he yelled "I have something to do, please listen to the prince" at the window.

Thales was still very interested in the beginning, and insisted on seeing customers every day. He listened to things ranging from the squire landlord "I met an old man in rent collection" to a certain knight "Your Highness, I want to report that my next-door neighbor is a bandit. I need a gun." "Army" and even "Your Highness, see if I want this portrait of my daughter", "A boss owes us wages", etc., but let him know a lot of customs and customs in various places in Xingchen, but gradually, he came from other places to find Duke Xinghu. There were more and more people, Thales found that he was too busy at all, so he had to receive and screen the guests in advance for him (D.D was angry about this), most of the guests only left records, and only chose important matters The guests received.

Sure enough, not everyone can play with Xiaohua Zhan En's way of being approachable.

In the face of these various guests, some Thales only needs to smile and finish listening. At most, let Mallos write a letter full of encouraging words, and he only needs to sign and seal the "Duke Knows" Add some small gifts, and the other party often goes back satisfied, but some questions are really serious, and Thales needs to enter the palace again to face the king (most of the time he says "get out") to get the answer. Even if it can't be solved.

But what is really troublesome is that some other people who want to take the opportunity to join the duke's command. For this kind of people, Mallos always rejects them on the spot on the grounds of "insufficient funds" or "full staff", but other people even Thales was also hard to refuse.

"This is Paul Bozdorf, from the Black Lion family of Herohold. I believe we've met before, folks."

The young aristocrat in front of him had a bandage on his head, carrying his own luggage, and bowed dumbly.

This is Paul who was ordered by his father to lead the Black Lion infantry to send Thales back from Enci Town to Yongxing City. He appeared in front of the prince again, as dull as ever:

"My father wants me to join your guard and follow you around—in fact, I can be your flag bearer. Where is the flag he sent you?"

Facing Earl Black Lion's obvious intention to send the heir over, Thales expressed a headache.

"Oh, that flag," the prince said awkwardly, "by the way, what happened to your head?"

"Sorry, there was a carriage trying to overtake, so I responded to him in the old way, which is very common in Xihuang," Paul touched the broken head, his face remained unchanged, "just at the gate of the city, there is a street sweeper have a finger in the pie."

Thales refused again and again, so he had no choice but to agree, and Tomarios found a place for Paul in the Mindis Hall (D.D volunteered, but Glover was eventually appointed as Paul's introducer).

But even inside the Mindis hall, there are not small problems.

In addition to the rumors that people were panicking and Mallos had to convene a training meeting, the old department of Dragon Cloud City ("those fake Yankees"-D.D's catchphrase) and the Star Lake Guards ("those people in the city"- Soldier Willow’s complaint) the integration was not as smooth as Thales imagined:

Wyah is the son of Gilbert, he tried hard to blend in with everyone, but D.D's talent is not for everyone, everyone still respects him at a distance; Rolf's equipment and appearance are clearly not easy to mess with, the former In the past few days, people have been mistaken for being arrogant and unwilling to speak, and almost got into a fight with Zonavide; Genard is a veteran of the army, and he seems to have an old grudge with Kongmutuo; Willow has stayed in Dragon Clouds for several A young soldier from the northern border, who walks, sits, and sleeps carelessly, always attracts the attention of everyone in the guard.

Therefore, in order to speed up the familiarization of the two sides, Mallos decided to start from standing guard, break up the staff and regroup, starting with Thales' personal bodyguard.

And that's a bad idea.

The duo of D.D and Wyer made Thales feel tired. On the one hand, D.D knew Wyer's identity, and deliberately talked to him, flattering and funny between the lines, but Wyer had a strict eye, and felt that he had to answer every question out of politeness.

The two came back and forth, and the scene formed was called Noisy.

"So, attendant Huai Ya, you have stayed in Dragon Clouds City for the past six years, eating and sleeping with the prince and never leaving each other?"

"No, Your Excellency Doyle, I will leave my post occasionally, sometimes it is His Royal Highness's task, and sometimes it is a normal vacation."

"Oh, do you go home a lot then?"

"Not much, Lord Doyle, as I said, I am not close to my father."

"Oh, well, is it that we young people don't like to be close to our parents..."

"I believe not, I have friends who are on good terms with their parents."

"Well, I have had a stepmother since I was a child, but where is your mother?"

"She... died."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay, I understand."

"Then Earl Caso doesn't want to marry again?"

Thales, who was concentrating on the exercises, couldn't bear it anymore, and slapped the table angrily:

"Can you shut up?"

Wyah and D.D stand at attention together.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness!"

So the two lowered their voices and spoke with anger:

"Hush—so, Wyah, who came up with your name?"

"Uh, Your Highness told us not to talk... My mother named it after her younger brother who died young..."

"I see. No wonder it sounds so nice. Hey, are you the only child?"

"I think it's better for us not to talk... Yes, my mother wanted to have a second child..."

Thales was so angry that he fainted in the book.

Glover is not good at speaking, and Rolf can't speak at all. It should be a very quiet and comfortable combination, but the two born on the street have a problem:

They stood behind Thales, one left and one right, and there were always times when they inadvertently met each other's eyes. At this time, both sides refused to show weakness, so the eyes of one side became dignified and deep, while the eyes of the other side became cold and sharp , and then one side became more serious and dignified, while the other side became sharper and more ruthless, one side retaliated even harder, and the other side retaliated even harder...

As time passed, the two looked at each other silently, and murderous intent gradually rose in the air without knowing it, and the cold air was overflowing.

The atmosphere is ominous and heavy.

Every time Thales looked up from the book, he felt that he was in the middle of two magic guns, and it was difficult to breathe.

It's like being at a funeral.

"Can you stop staring!"

The zombie and the ghost with the wind snorted coldly, looked away, and the air returned to normal.

Until the next time they (inevitably) meet again.

Thales, who was protected by them, felt so desperate.

It was another situation when Wyatt and Glover were with Thales.

The attendant regards himself as the most important confidant of the prince, and when he wants to show his favor to Glover, they always give him a friendly nod when they look at each other inadvertently. It is unnatural to face the enthusiastic and unsociable zombies. Shutting his chin back in embarrassment, he turned his head and looked away. This made Wyatt stunned for a moment, thinking that he had done something wrong, so he put on a smile next time, so Glover was even more at a loss, pulling the corners of his mouth stiffly, and turned his head to avoid it. If Wyatt thinks this is a positive response from the other party, he will be encouraged to continue smiling. If he thinks the other party's reaction is not good, he will reflect on himself and be more friendly and enthusiastic next time. Glover is more embarrassed, but he is unwilling to speak...

So what Thales glimpsed from the corner of his eye was often a scene like this:

On the left, Huai Ya smiles and nods for a while. After getting a response, he is occasionally disappointed and frustrated, and sometimes full of confidence. He is always trying to make some eye contact with the other party—on the way.

On the right, Glover, who was on guard, huddled into a ball with the least use of his limbs, writhing weakly and painfully, avoiding his eyes, and forced a smile, like a little baby who was poked in the face but unable to resist .

"enough!"

Thales gritted his teeth, and once again took the case:

"To flirt go to the next bedroom!"

The on-duty combination of Doyle and Rolf is hard to describe.

Doyle has a cheerful personality and is overly familiar with himself. As always, he tried his best to talk to Rolf, but he knew that the ghost of the wind could not speak, so he took note of the "interesting gestures" between the latter and the prince, and stayed by the prince's side , when face-to-face on duty, from time to time he showed a mysterious smile, and suddenly threw a hand gesture that he didn't know what the hell meant:

【Have a meal】

Rolf rolled his eyes and turned to ignore him.

D.D vaguely knew what was wrong, but he was not discouraged. He only became more frustrated and courageous. He made the next gesture and raised his eyebrows, indicating that he was right:

【you? but? 】

Rolf was a little angry, but he knew the character of this person, so he tried his best to ignore it.

D.D blinked and began to combine different gestures:

【Dry? bathroom? Have a meal? 】

Rolf gritted his teeth subconsciously and gave him a murderous look.

But Doyle was spurred on, and his spirits grew:

【you? Toilet, meal? 】

Rolf's eyes were so cold that the Mindis Hall was frozen into ice.

Doyle felt he was on the right track:

[Like, toilet? 】

Rolf's anger almost spilled out of the mask.

D.D was even more surprised:

【Like it, why? 】

Rolf clenched his fists tightly until Doyle's last gestures of joy:

【like? Dry? you? 】

In the next second, Thales, who was engrossed in the book, felt a gust of wind blowing, and there was a crackling sound, and the ghost of the wind rolled with D.D until Bastia or Nexi who came over heard the news. They separate.

Thales, who was watching all this, only felt heavy, and picked up the pages of books all over the floor in a trance.

Life in Mindy's Hall is a constant back and forth between stagnation and hustle and bustle, depending on what's wrong with the day, but basically there's no middle ground.

In short, for a period of time after making an agreement with the king, rumors were flying outside, and the forces in Yongxing City also stood in line one after another, while the Duke of Star Lake gained a rare freedom, no more orders from higher levels, no more Wherever you go, there will be great battles, and there will no longer be strict rules and regulations at all times.

But whenever Thales looked at the sunset outside the window, he knew that everything in front of him had a price.

The matter of Xihuang has come to an end, but the kingdom will not stop moving forward.

Thales looked down at the "covenant" in his hand.

The Kingdom will not forget him, and the Fuxing Palace will not.

He is the king's sword and pawn.

He was swung again, moved...

Just a matter of time.

But before that...

"We're out of money."

Thales turned her head gracefully, and was immediately taken aback:

"What?"

The indifferent Mallos and the logistics officer with a constipated face, Devord Stowe, stood in front of him.

"You heard me."

"All our previous expenditures were taken care of by the Fuxing Palace. We only need to hand over the ledger to Baron Quentin at the end of the month," Mallos said blankly, "but now..."

Shi Tuo's logistics officer raised his account book in embarrassment.

Thales came back to his senses:

"Oh, yes, we... are responsible for our own profits and losses."

According to the terms he negotiated with the king-this is one of the signs of discord between Mindis Hall and Fuxing Palace.

It is also a condition of his independence.

"Wait, don't we have any other income?"

Shi Tuo's logistics officer looked sad, and explained carefully for the Duke whose fingers were not in the sun, and who was not in charge of the family and didn't know how expensive he was:

"Yes, we have the salary of the royal guards, and you also have the regular living allowances of the Star Prince, but..."

"Not enough." Mallos was expressionless and straightforward.

"First of all, you have made so many actions in the past few months. The tea fee for the reception alone is... and because the relationship between Mindis Hall and many departments in the city, including market officials, has weakened, we have spent a lot of money for no reason. Oh, the most important thing is The most important thing is the batch at the banquet..."

wine glass.

The loveless Thales helped him finish the sentence—in his heart.

"And we're still paying the debt in installments—a total of . . . forget it, you've had enough trouble."

Shi Tuo calculated the accounts carefully:

"After we are responsible for our own profits and losses, we can't directly purchase from the channels of Fuxing Palace, and our expenses have increased a lot. You know, the prices of Yongxing City..."

Knowing the prices in the Morning Star District and Evening Star District, Thales nodded dumbly:

Yongxingju is not easy.

So he rolled his eyes:

"Wait, I heard from D.D that there are many rare treasures in the Mindis hall, such as famous paintings..."

Mallos frowned and looked at a portrait of "Jackal" Sumer III behind him.

"Even if you dare to sell..."

"Who dares to buy?"

Thales' expression drooped again.

"Then maybe we can open the first floor of Mindis Hall for everyone to visit, and then charge tickets, two silver coins per person?"

"Where did that bad idea come from?"

"Hey, I read it from the book, how is it?"

"Which book? Maybe I should report it to the Disciplinary Office..."

"Uh, in Dragon Clouds City, a novel written by people from the Northland, tells the story of a family living in a manor..."

"That," Shi Tuo's logistics officer said tentatively:

"In fact, quite a few of your guests these days—the distinguished ones—are interested in investing in you, including..."

"No." Thales and Mallos said in unison at this time, which was surprisingly unanimous.

The prince and the watchman exchanged glances.

It seems that both he and the other party know what can and cannot be done.

In fact, even though Thales made such an unorthodox, shocking and rebellious act, which caused rumors everywhere, Mallos still reacted flatly, did not ask any more questions, continued to work dullly, and turned back. The Star Lake guards rearranged in an orderly manner and continued to take care of the daily life of Mindis Hall.

It seemed that Thales just went for a walk in the Fuxing Palace.

Indifferent as before, numb as usual.

This made Thales very grateful to him.

Well, it would be better if he didn't take that attitude to my orders.

"Then maybe you can tell His Majesty to ask Baron Quentin to pay our expenses to..."

"No." Thales refused resolutely, more firmly than before.

"Okay," Shi Tuo's logistics officer sighed, and closed the ledger, "then there is only one last solution."

Thales and Mallos turned their heads in unison, as if listening.

"We can't stay in Eternal Star City anymore—the prices here, we have even taken the salary of the guards for next month in advance."

No longer stay in Eternal Star City.

Ah, it would be nice to stay away from the Fuxing Palace, the king, and the bad people and things, but...

Thales raised his eyebrows:

"where to?"

"Of course it's going to your fief," Shi Tuo's logistics officer said seriously. "According to the sacred covenant of the stars, Your Excellency, you can exercise your natural right on the fief - collecting taxes and rents."

"Fief? I still have a taxable fief?"

Thales said with a smile:

"Where? D.D's allowance pocket?"

Mallos coughed.

"Of course, don't forget, you are the Duke of Xinghu."

Duke of Star Lake.

Thales was puzzled, a little surprised.

Isn't this a false title? The kind that puts on a brave face?

"And your fief is in..."

The watchman nodded solemnly, and pointed to the lakeside castle on a landscape painting on the wall:

"Star Lake Fort."

————

Just in case someone doesn't know, let me just say that the side story is in the old place.