Thales stared at the black ring with an unpleasant expression on his face.
It was the triumphant return of the 'Emperor of Poison'.
He did not know what emotions he should use to face this matter.
The ups and downs of the duel, the brilliant reversal at the end, the duel that could be said to determine the fate of the two kingdoms, actually …
A few seconds later, he said with difficulty, "So, in the duel, you … 'triumphantly' returned like this?"
King Nuven smiled softly. His gaze was cunning and pleased.
"As you said," he returned Thales' words to the second prince, word for word. "After all, this matter concerns such a large kingdom. What if something goes wrong?"
Thales' thoughts were in a mess.
The image of Nuven the Seventh that he had just built up in his heart from that duel was a heroic, heroic, old, and heroic image of Nuven the Seventh.
It collapsed with a loud bang.
What replaced it was an old, scheming, and cunning king who was twirling the ring behind the long table.
"Remember, young Thales," King Nuven said meaningfully, "a king should never be hot-headed, replace rationality with impulsiveness, and resort to an uncertain gamble for the sake of pleasure. You are not only yourself, but also the entire kingdom."
Thales ignored his words. His brain was spinning rapidly at that moment.
After a long while, Thales recovered from the shock and tried his best to grasp a few clues from his chaotic thoughts.
Based on his understanding of Northland along the way, once this secret was leaked, King Nuven would become the target of thousands of curses.
This was enough to destroy the reputation of the Walton Family, end the rule of Dragon Clouds City, and even endanger the dignity of the entire Eckstedt and all Northlanders.
'But …'
Thales turned his head and looked at King Nuven, who was silent and had a complicated expression on his face. He asked in disbelief, "Why tell me?"
'Shouldn't this be a top secret that will rot in my stomach forever and be brought to my grave?'
"Do you know how serious this secret is?" Thales felt his heart beat faster. He unconsciously clenched his fists.
However, King Nuven only looked at Thales calmly and flashed a happy smile. He did not show the slightest hint of nervousness or seriousness after his secret was exposed.
"Of course." King Nuven snorted lightly and said nonchalantly, "This is the greatest stain to the Way of Northland. It is even disrespectful to the gods and belittling the archdukes."
"Even the most lowly Northlanders would despise the king they once loved the most because of this matter. Once the new king ascends to the throne, he can even use this reason to banish the Walton Family from the ranks of archdukes forever."
After he finished speaking, King Nuven narrowed his eyes and looked at Thales with a dark expression.
"Now, you know the secret, don't you?" The King said playfully.
Thales furrowed his brows. He met King Nuven's gaze. The doubts and uneasiness in his heart grew deeper.
"Your Majesty Nuven, w-what exactly do you want to do?"
At that moment, Thales felt that the old man in front of him was like a dark, bottomless whirlpool.
He himself was like a small boat in a whirlpool.
A few seconds later.
"This is a show of sincerity."
The old king said lightly.
"Sincerity?" Thales repeated doubtfully.
King Nuven scooped up a goblet of wine and calmly took a sip.
"I gave you a bargaining chip." King Nuven's expression was calm and his tone was calm.
"And as long as you hold onto this bargaining chip, you can destroy the Walton Family at any time."
"What do you mean?" The puzzlement in Thales' heart only increased.
At this moment, King Nuven's tone changed again.
"Previously, you seemed to have mentioned this to Nicholas." King Nuven did not care about Thales' expression. He said softly,
"After you cooperate with me to find the mastermind, you want some benefits from me?"
Thales' eyebrows twitched and he gritted his teeth slightly.
"This is your so-called benefit?" Thales asked with some difficulty.
"Of course not. How can this be considered a benefit?" King Nuven could not help but laugh. "This will only make you uneasy, especially when you are still in Dragon Clouds City, within my jurisdiction. Because of this secret, you will constantly worry about your own safety."
Thales took a deep breath. He felt his mouth and tongue dry.
At this moment, he felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles.
"The Dragon Spear Family is never stingy." The old king stopped smiling. His words only made Thales' heart tremble. "So, after seeing you yesterday afternoon, are you satisfied with your 'reward'?"
Thales raised his head abruptly.
"Yesterday afternoon?" Thales frowned.
"Yes." King Nuven looked at him with a profound expression. "Yesterday afternoon."
The expression on Thales' face changed.
Yesterday afternoon.
After he came out of the Hall of Heroes, he got lost in Heroic Spirit Palace, then …
Then …
Under Thales' incredulous gaze, the old king stroked the ring on his finger and said slowly, "Why? Do you think a foreign prince who has just arrived here …
"To be able to wander around my Heroic Spirit Palace freely and unfettered?"
King Nuven glanced at Thales. His eyes flashed. "And coincidentally wandered into Raikaru's library?"
Thales' heart skipped a beat. He stood rooted to the ground, stupefied.
"Mirk lured you there on purpose," King Nuven said calmly and flatly.
"So, you have met my granddaughter, Thales."
In the next second, Thales sat on the stairs in a daze, listening to the calm King Nuven say softly,
"Your future wife …
"And the queen."
The hall became quiet again.
Thales stood rooted to the ground, dumbfounded.
The scene in the library appeared in his mind.
The unruly and capricious little princess who beat and scolded her servants at will, Alex Walton.
But then, another figure that left an even deeper impression appeared — the unkempt little girl with a pair of black-rimmed glasses, her face covered in dust, lying on the ground reading a book.
'Little Rascal.'
King Nuven did not speak again. He calmly took another sip of wine.
Thales spent a whole minute sorting out the current situation.
"Why? What's going on?" Thales' breathing quickened. He raised his head. "What do you mean by this?"
King Nuven inhaled softly and raised his head to look at the fireplace on the other side of the hall.
He looked at the shelf on the fireplace. The ferocious weapon passed down from Raikaru the Hero to the Walton Family.
The Soul Slayer Pike.
"Among the lies you told Olsius and the others, at least one of them was right." King Nuven's eyes burned with an unknown emotion.
"For the continuation of the Walton Family …"
The old king turned his head. His sharp gaze was fixed on Thales. His expression was firm.
"I have to bet on a strong man, a future king."
Thales' face was pale. He clenched his fists tighter and tighter.
He suddenly figured something out.
King Nuven did not speak. He was waiting for Thales' response.
"The Walton Family is dying," Thales said quietly after a while.
"You want to use marriage to force the Jadestar Royal Family and Constellation to ensure the continuation of the Dragon Spear Family?
"You want me to marry your granddaughter." Thales subconsciously raised his voice.
"You want me to let Constellation take over this burden?"
King Nuven held his wine cup and stared at the Soul Slayer Pike.
He snorted lightly, as if he did not care.
"No." The king's old voice rang again. "What I am giving you is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
A bargaining chip that you cannot refuse. "
Thales suddenly shuddered.
"Think about what you can get." King Nuven's eyes were deep and cold.
"As blood relatives of the Archduke of Dragon Clouds City by marriage, the supreme royal family of Constellation …
"From then on, you can intervene in Eckstedt's internal affairs."
At that moment, Thales felt a chill in his heart.
"One of you and my granddaughter's descendants will inherit the Walton surname and power, and become the future Archduke of Dragon Clouds City." King Nuven's tone was cold, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
"And you, Thales Jadestar, you will do what Midier the Fourth and Chara the Hero could not do with their combined strength."
"You will become the supreme king of Constellation …" King Nuven's expression did not change. He said something that made Thales' heart flutter.
"You will also become the regent of Dragon Clouds City, the first territory in Eckstedt."
Thales stared at King Nuven in a daze.
Even if he had memories that were incompatible with the rest of the people in this world, even if his brain was working frantically, he could not immediately react to this news.
"And before that …" The old king's expression was unprecedentedly serious.
"If you still want to hold the Walton Family as a bargaining chip, still want to use Dragon Clouds City to restrict Eckstedt …"
Thales exhaled dejectedly and continued King Nuven's words.
"Constellation and I must do our best to ensure the Walton Family's rule and status in Dragon Clouds City, and protect the Dragon Spear Family from dying out in Eckstedt, right?"
King Nuven revealed a satisfied smile.
"If the future king intends to use the reason of 'no male heir' to deprive the Walton Family of its power, he will have to think twice," Nuven the Seventh continued.
"The Shield of the Western Peninsula's attitude in the south is that he is moving your cheese."
King Nuven revealed a determined gaze. "What you need to do is to show the existence of Constellation and maintain the rule of the Walton Family. Even if there is only one little girl left, and no matter how much the other archdukes oppose her, you will be able to obtain the greatest bargaining chip and advantage when you face Eckstedt in the future.
"This will also strengthen the Jadestar Family's weight and status in the country at the same time, and increase the royal family's prestige — given your current situation."
Thales suddenly remembered the conversation between them when he first arrived at Mindis Hall, when Gilbert used a scheme to set up an alliance between him and Serena Corleone.
Thales subconsciously repeated Gilbert's words in a low voice, "Using benefits to win over allies, this is the essence of politics."
"I can still live for another eight or nine years. By then, Constellation should have begun to recover its strength." King Nuven nodded approvingly. "After that, the last direct descendant of the Walton Family, my granddaughter, your wife …
"Will be under your protection."
Thales did not speak for a long time.
'Marriage alliance.
'Constellation and Eckstedt.
'Jadestar and Walton.'
"What if I say 'no'?" He raised his head coldly and looked at King Nuven. "What if I don't want to be dragged into this dangerous quagmire?"
"Those who dance with the dragon often have their lives hanging by a thread. Also," the second prince said flatly, "So far, those who want to form an alliance with me have either caused me great harm or were harmed by me."
Thales remembered what Zayen Covendier told him on the day he left for the North. 'If you are in the same boat as a jackal, you will run the risk of your boat capsizing.'
King Nuven stared at him. There was a strange and indistinguishable color in his green eyes.
Thales stared back at the king without showing any sign of weakness.
"This has nothing to do with your wishes." Finally, the old king nodded slowly.
"The messenger crow carrying the king's warrant will fly to Eternal Star City tomorrow. Your father will decide on this matter."
Thales could not help but tremble.
"What if he … my father also doesn't agree?" Thales gritted his teeth and heard his own hoarse voice. "Doesn't agree to drag Constellation into this quagmire?"
"Oh, about that," the old king replied nonchalantly. "I gave you the secret of 'Triumph', didn't I?"
Thales' pupils shrank and he stared at him in a daze.
"Constellation can use this bargaining chip to destroy the Walton Family at any time. This is enough to win his trust." King Nuven slowly enunciated his words in his old but powerful voice.
"When you discover a treasure, you may be worried that it is a trap and give it up. But when you have the ability to destroy it at the same time … will you still be convinced by your own concerns and choose to give it up?"
Thales was momentarily speechless.
In the face of such a king of Eckstedt, faced with such a situation, even someone as slick as him felt that he could not handle it.
His instincts also told him that King Kessel would definitely agree to such an alliance.
"But the effectiveness of 'Triumph' as a bargaining chip will gradually fade with your death." Thales took a deep breath and followed the old king's words.
"The benefits of using 'Triumph' will become smaller and smaller. In comparison, Kessel … my father will definitely be more inclined towards the benefits that can be brought about by a marriage alliance, and will be more inclined to support the Walton Family and ensure the Walton Family's position …
"And obtain a nail that has been nailed into the Kingdom of the Great Dragon, reversing Constellation's decline after the Bloody Year!" King Nuven raised his eyebrows. He scooped up another goblet of wine from the wine barrel and poured it down his throat.
"I guess the nobles in Eckstedt will not be happy," Thales said dejectedly.
"Including every archduke."
"Of course not. Every one of them can't wait to see the Walton Family decline." King Nuven's eyes flashed. He put down the wine goblet and wiped his mouth.
"But I am the king of Eckstedt, and I will remove the last obstacle for our cooperation," King Nuven answered him calmly. "The men of military age in Dragon Clouds City will not be at peace for the next few years. Getting rid of Lampard is just the beginning."
Thales instantly figured it out.
From Nicholas' probing to the king's so-called 'test'.
"So," Thales sighed when he said this. "You've already planned everything out."
"Don't lump me together with those shameless, scheming scum." King Nuven snorted in dissatisfaction. "This is not a conspiracy, but — to use a Far Eastern term — an overt plot that you can't refuse."
"Yes." Thales lowered his head. An indescribable sense of loss rose from the bottom of his heart. "All these schemes, conspiracies, and overt plots … or something like that.
"All of you are very good at this."
Just like the first time he met King Kessel in Mindis Hall, Thales once again felt the helplessness and powerlessness of having one's fate and choices firmly in the hands of others.
The powerlessness of going with the flow and drifting with the wind.
King Nuven stared at him quietly.
After a while, under the illumination of the firelight, the old king slowly opened his mouth.
"You are a special child, Thales." King Nuven sighed. There was an obvious sense of vicissitudes in his voice. "I can feel that you have Soria's sharp determination, but also Mosul's impracticality."
'Sharp determination.
Impracticality. '
"Hmph, thank you for the compliment," Thales replied tiredly. He even chuckled. "I think you probably think that the latter is more of the former?"
King Nuven faintly inhaled and slowly exhaled when he talked about his two deceased sons.
"You are not weak, Thales, even if you are only this young," the old king said earnestly. "From my observations of you and the reports from Nicholas and the others, you are a survivor. You have all the qualities to become a powerful warrior. But what you need is time, and you need to hone yourself."
King Nuven clenched his fingers into a fist and knocked on the left side of his heart. "And a sufficiently hard, cold, and unwavering heart."
'A hard, cold, and unwavering heart?'
Thales frowned. He could not stand it anymore and asked, "Don't you feel tired? The court, the country, the archdukes, conspiracies, tricks, assassinations, all of these … God knows what the hell is waiting for you. "
'Ever since I escaped from Red Street Market … until now.
'Mystics, Blood Bottle Gang, Blood Clan, Iris Flowers, The Black Prophet, the Six Great Clans, Eckstedt …
'Time and time again, I have to face malice, danger, and tiresome conspiracies and schemes.
Even though Thales struggled through them time and time again, he still felt that he was reaching his limit.
This pace of life made Thales mentally and physically exhausted. Even his life as a child beggar in the Abandoned House did not give him this kind of 'difficult road ahead'.
Thales hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "I guess if Prince Moriah is really the kind of person Poffret said he is, he would also feel tired."
King Nuven's expression slowly froze. His eyes were filled with deep emotions.
There was a few seconds of silence.
"It's normal for you to feel tired. Everyone feels tired," King Nuven finally spoke slowly.
"But for us, when you feel tired and want to stop, or even want to give up, you will feel …" He clutched his injured shoulder and panted heavily in pain. "Pain.
"Whether it's the pain of being swept into the tide and losing control of yourself, or the pain your enemies give you when they see that you are weak and easy to bully."
King Nuven pursed his lips, as if he was recalling something.
"That kind of pain that penetrates deep into your bones pushes you back to the tired battlefield. You will continue to go back and forth between exhaustion and pain until you get used to it.
"This is what we are born to carry, not just us," the old king continued expressionlessly.
"Before he became an archduke, Olsius was poisoned twice by his half-brother; Trentida married the daughter of a mountain barbarian tribe leader just to open up a wasteland in the Sighing Mountain for his barren Reformation Tower; the old bald Lecco once reluctantly married off his youngest daughter to Camus Union in order to maintain his finances until she died miserably in a foreign land; on the day Roknee became an archduke, he personally ordered the execution of six domineering counts and viscounts in his territory; they were all his father's most trusted people when he was alive; and Lampard was a ruthless existence who stabbed his own brother's heart in front of everyone to seize the archduke's position. But time and time again, they all returned in pain and exhaustion."
"You too? Returned from pain and exhaustion? "Thales lowered his gaze." Like your son? "
King Nuven did not speak for a whole ten seconds.
After a moment of silence, King Nuven raised his head and stared at the famous Soul Slayer Pike. "Do you know Soria? My eldest son, the man most likely to inherit this position. He died twelve years ago."
Thales was slightly stunned.
"Lady Alex's … father?" He hesitated and carefully asked, "I heard from Lord Mirk that he died in a hunting accident —"
"No." This time, King Nuven quickly interrupted the second prince. His face was ashen. "An accident is just what we say to the outside world."
Thales frowned slightly and held his breath again.
"During the hunt, he died of an assassination with ulterior motives," the old king said in a normal tone. "To be precise …
"It was an assassin from Constellation."
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