In the main hall of Rorun Castle, Gilbert's pupils reflected the light from the Everlasting Lamp in the distance.
"Baron Williams told me that a few days ago, Duke Cyril Fakenhaz paid you a surprise visit."
The Foreign Affairs Minister asked gently but cautiously,
"I believe that he did not just bring you a sword?"
Thales paused for a moment.
"He did indeed say a lot."
The teenager swallowed the piece of meat. His gaze focused slightly, and he seemed to be deep in thought.
"It also made me very uneasy."
Gilbert's expression darkened.
"Interacting with different people is always the most direct way to understand the world."
Gilbert's tone was still gentle, but there was a hint of caution and deliberation in it.
"But, Your Highness.
Please make sure that you never forget, "Gilbert sat opposite him and said profoundly," Everyone shows you what they want you to see.
"Everyone wants you to see what they want you to see."
Especially when your status is so special, and your identity is so sensitive. "
Thales put down his knife and fork, and he was lost in thought.
"What a coincidence.
Not long ago, "Thales' expression was resigned and mocking.
"Count Kroma said something similar."
Gilbert stared at him. He wanted to say something, but he did not.
Thales continued eating his dinner until Constellation's Cunning Fox sighed.
"Since you have met them, Your Grace.
Then, what kind of people do you think the nobles of Western Desert are? "
Thales' hands slowed down.
'The nobles of Western Desert …
What kind of people are they? '
His thoughts returned to the past, to the moment when he met the three nobles, Fakenhaz, Kroma, and Bozdorf.
The prince narrowed his eyes.
"They are not stupid. They know that you … know what we want to do.
"From Blade Fangs Camp to Blessings Town."
Thales stared at the lights in the distance in a daze.
Gilbert furrowed his eyebrows slightly. He was heard clearing his throat.
"Then, how did they deal with it? I mean, with 'us'?"
'How to deal with it …'
Thales sank into deep thought again. He was immersed in what he saw and heard in Western Desert.
"It's hard to say. From the guardian duke to the appointed count, from the four-eyed skull to the crow and the black lion, from the new nobles to the old forces, it's obvious that they don't have a good relationship with each other."
Thales cut the steak that was neatly cut by Doyle into smaller pieces. He frowned.
"I guess they didn't handle it well."
Under the light, Gilbert's expression became a little complicated.
"Really?"
Thales nodded, but he was worried.
"Step by step, we are forcing them to come together to fight against us, against their common enemy."
Gilbert grunted in acknowledgement and suddenly asked, "Yes.
"For example?"
Wang Zi raised his eyebrows.
"For example — Williams."
When he thought of this name and Stake's mutilated corpse on the sand, Thales felt that the ribs in his mouth were disgusting.
Gilbert nodded in understanding.
Thales forced himself to swallow his food. He did not wait for the man to speak.
"Why him, Gilbert?"
Thales put down his knife and fork and turned to Gilbert. His expression was serious and puzzled.
"Why is this … unreasonable person staying in Western Desert, representing Renaissance Palace and the royal family, and ruling over Blade Fangs Camp?"
Thales shrugged.
"He can't even work well with the people from the Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department."
Gilbert's expression changed a few times.
"Your Highness —"
But Thales did not let him interrupt him.
"And based on my understanding of him during the short time I spent with him …"
Thales raised his index finger and furrowed his eyebrows tightly.
"Every minute the Legendary Wing stays in Blade Fangs Camp makes the local nobles of Western Desert feel more hopeless and uneasy. He pushes them further away from Renaissance Palace and intensifies the conflict between them and the royal family until they are driven to desperate measures and take a risk.
"Don't even compare him to the Kingdom's Wrath, who is crude but meticulous, or the experienced and prudent Fortress Flower …"
The prince turned his head around and looked at Gilbert, who had a complicated expression on his face.
"To put it bluntly …"
Thales sighed. He searched for a suitable description and said helplessly, "That's right.
He said in resignation, "Even the Star Killer knows how to conduct himself better than he does."
Gilbert furrowed his eyebrows tightly and did not speak.
His gaze first landed on Thales, then moved to the messy plate the prince had eaten. He remained silent for a long time.
Just when Thales thought that there was no answer to his questions and that he could only helplessly turn around and continue working on his dinner …
"You are as sharp and intelligent as you were six years ago, Your Highness."
Gilbert sighed slowly, and his gaze became sharp.
"But, my Lord Duke."
"I'm thinking that maybe you need to jump out and look at the situation in the West Desert from the perspective of the kingdom, the breadth of history, and our perspective."
The height of the kingdom.
The breadth of history.
Our angle.
Thales blinked with a puzzled expression.
"Let's not talk about the other small and medium nobles that we didn't expect. Let's take the three great clans of Western Desert that you mentioned as an example. They do indeed have different attitudes toward Renaissance Palace.
Gilbert sat up straight with a smile on his lips. It was as if he had once again become the tireless teacher from six years ago.
"One is gentle and conservative, one is radical and discontented, and the last one is insensitive and ambiguous."
"What do you think of the situation for us?"
Thales leaned back against the dining chair and rolled his eyes.
Gentle.
Radical.
Numbness.
The Crow, the Black Lion, and the Skull appeared in front of him. The old, middle-aged, and young figures.
"It's a good thing."
Thales tried hard to remind himself that he belonged to the Jadestar Royal Family, and he should speak from the perspective of the people.
"Our opponent, if Western Desert is our opponent, is divided and not united, so it is more fragile. It is beneficial for us to set up our own plans and defeat them one by one."
He shrugged with a look of disdain.
"But … Williams?"
Gilbert looked at his exaggerated expression and smiled.
"Set up our own plans and defeat them one by one."
Gilbert looked at him just like he did during the lesson six years ago. There was admiration in his eyes.
"Just like what you did in Eckstedt six years ago?"
Thales was stunned.
He realized that compared to the Old Crow's encouraging questions that did not set any prerequisites and were patient in leading him to the right path, Gilbert's questions were clearer, more intentional, and more directed.
"Yes, just like in Eckstedt."
The prince frowned and nodded.
"Unless we force them to stand together, let go of their past enmity, and fight … fight against Jadestar together."
Thales swallowed the words "thanks to a certain handsome pretty boy who wields a double-headed spear" at the end of his sentence.
Gilbert nodded and smiled.
"Please do not misunderstand me, Your Grace. In fact, I admire your thoughts.
But Your Highness, I believe that the strategy we adopt depends on what kind of opponent we face. "
Thales also realized that compared to Putray's rhetorical questions, which were filled with sarcasm and bad taste, Gilbert preferred direct narration.
"Eckstedt is Constellation's greatest enemy since it was founded hundreds of years ago. Its territory is thousands of miles wide, and it is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Its people are tough, and their ferocious nature has yet to be tamed. In addition, they have a strong army and a large number of heroes. They are a powerful natural enemy that we may not have the confidence to defeat even during our prime."
The Foreign Affairs Minister seemed to be sentimental about something. He paused for a few seconds before he said airily,
"For us, a divided Eckstedt is naturally more beneficial to Constellation than a united Kingdom of the Great Dragon."
In the next second, Gilbert's gaze changed.
"But what about Western Desert?
This is Constellation's territory. Its suzerains are His Majesty's vassals. They are just a corner of the chessboard. For us, everything is in our control, and we are determined to win. "
Gilbert's gaze sharpened.
"In this situation, is the chaos and division in this corner of the chessboard really beneficial to us?"
Thales frowned in puzzlement.
"What do you mean?"
Gilbert laughed and cleared his throat. He first looked at the lights in the distance before he spoke tirelessly.
"Two thousand years ago, the Ancient Empire at its prime stretched across the continent. It had two territories, five districts, and nineteen provinces under its jurisdiction."
It was only at this moment that Thales discovered traces of the Old Crow and Putray's storytelling from his tone.
"But among these twenty-six known places, the one that gave the Capital of Triumph and the Pegasus Throne the most headaches was not the powerful Northland, not the ancient Chauvinism, not the steep and barren mountains, not the complicated Green Heart, not the difficult to tame Serseri and the wild Neda, not even the Sea of Flames, which is hard to communicate with, and the Far East, which is beyond our reach …"
Gilbert's tone changed.
"Instead, it was the insignificant and remote Thorn Land, located in the southwest of the Empire."
'Thorn Land.'
Thales recalled the world geography he learned in Northland. Fortunately, the Northlanders did not need to be secretive about Thorn Land.
Based on his memories, the prince asked tentatively,
"Is it because they are conservative and xenophobic, and never submit to outsiders, or even the Empire's rule?"
"I have read a thousand-year-old proverb from Thorn Land in the books of the Northlanders. 'The Children of Thorn are born to fight back'."
Gilbert nodded. There was a gratified look in his eyes that said, "The Northlanders are finally willing to study."
"Yes, Your Highness, yes, but that is not all. The Children of Thorn do not submit to outsiders' rule, they are even more unwilling to submit to their own people's rule."
Thales revealed a puzzled look.
Gilbert smiled.
"Before the rise of the Empire, the small Thorn Land was known for being divided and chaotic. Warlords rose in droves, many factions stood in great numbers, oligarchs appeared everywhere, and unrest was frequent. Even the religious beliefs within the land were difficult to unify, much less find a leader who could convince the masses.
"And this brought trouble to the Empire at that time. After easily conquering them, their rule after that was like walking into a swamp, and it was difficult for them to move forward.
"If they wanted to rope them in and appease them, they would not be able to find a representative who could convince the masses and be reliable in the entire province. If they wanted to intimidate and shock them, every time they got rid of the leader of the rioters, there would always be his opponents or supporters who would pop up a few years later and cause more trouble in Thorn Land."
Gilbert snorted softly. There was a faint hint of disdain in his words.
"This characteristic of Thorn Land lasted for a thousand years, and it has been passed down since the Empire ceased to exist.
"Even today, after the Battle of Eradication, in the old Thorn Land, regardless of whether it is Alumbia Kingdom or Tarundi Joint Governance, they have never stopped. The former's royal family changes every season, while the latter's internal strife is a common occurrence, and it happens regularly."
Thales listened to Gilbert's words seriously.
"Are you saying that Western Desert is to us like how Thorn Land is to the Empire?
It is difficult to maintain a stable rule? "
Gilbert paused for a few seconds, as if he was searching for an appropriate phrase.
"Not entirely, but …"
Gilbert looked at Thales sternly.
"Tell me, Your Highness, if you were your father, who would you reward, attack, rope in, support, or let them do whatever they want when you face the three families in Western Desert who seem to have conflicting political views, who have their own ideas, who would you attack, who would you recruit, who would you support, and who would you let them do whatever they want?"
This question stunned Thales for a moment.
"Based on what I saw …"
He recalled what he had seen and heard over the past few days and answered carefully.
"Reward Kroma because they can tell right from wrong and know how to adapt to the situation?"
Gilbert did not speak, but looked at him expectantly.
So, Thales continued speaking in a probing manner.
"Attack Bozdorf because they are arrogant, oppositional, and have a clear attitude?
Rope in Fakenhaz because they have not expressed their stance for a long time, and perhaps they are waiting for a good offer? "
Gilbert's eyes lit up.
"Very good, because that is what we thought in the beginning as well."
When he heard this strange tone, Thales frowned.
"But?"
As expected, Gilbert flashed a smile and continued Thales' words.
"But.
During the few years after the Bloody Year and before Williams was conferred the title of nobility, major national policies such as conscription of soldiers, tax reform, annexation of land, and minor ones such as rewards and punishments, conferring titles, and appointments were carried out in Western Desert. No matter what kind of laws were carried out in Western Desert … "
Gilbert's gaze became sharp, just like his tone.
"When Renaissance Palace took action with a good reason and did things according to plan, such as the implementation of the Fixed Time Conscription Act and the emergency annexes to the Desert War, conservatives like Kroma were always dragging their feet and seemed to agree in public, but opposed in private.
"When His Majesty treated them gently and supported them, such as temporarily suspending the Tax Exemption Order for the Development of Border Counties as a form of compromise and goodwill, stubborn people like Bozdorf would jump out and take a mile when given an inch, and resist stubbornly to the end.
"When Eternal Star City decided to take action and strike like a thunderbolt, such as punishing the nobles who violated the Central Tax Order, the unpopular Fakenhaz would suddenly appear. He would make jokes and feign ignorance, and he even stirred up the mess in Western Desert to the entire country, causing our plan to fail."
'What?'
As he listened to these specific matters, Thales only felt his head swell, and his frown deepened.
'This is …
Western Desert from another perspective? '
"The other middle and small nobles took sides, and there were few exceptions."
There was a hint of resentment in Gilbert's words.
"No, it was not just a few years, and it was not just one or two generations. It was the past hundred years. Every time Constellation had a king's decree and a great government was about to be carried out, every opposition in Western Desert could always find a place they wanted to belong to, regardless of whether it was the Black Lion, who was famous for his unyielding attitude, the Single-Winged Crow, who appeared to be submissive, or the Four-Eyed Skull, who had nothing to do with it but was shrewd and ruthless."
The more Thales listened, the more fearful he became.
"No matter what we did, one of the three parties who did not agree with each other would always be able to throw out an unexpected trump card. They would play the rules of the game to perfection, and they would be able to react with ease. They would either dodge or move, act shamelessly to stall for time, or strike a blow to the head. They would catch our plans off guard, and we would only get half the results with twice the effort."
There was a deep wariness in Gilbert's words.
"They might seem to be at odds with each other and have divided Western Desert, but they would always be able to split up when they face the king's decree from Renaissance Palace. They would cover for each other on the smallest front, and they would work together from different directions to build the most suitable obstacles. They would then cleverly destroy our efforts in Western Desert and the entire kingdom."
The lights in the main hall were still lit. A few Royal Guards came forward to take over their shift dutifully, but they wisely kept a distance away to avoid disturbing the conversation between Gilbert and the new Duke of Star Lake.
Thales took a long time to digest the information Gilbert told him.
'But …'
"Gilbert, are you saying …"
Thales turned his head around in disbelief.
"The Three Great Clans of Western Desert … The three great clans in Western Desert … They showed us that they were in cahoots with each other?
Did they do it on purpose? "
Thales remembered Fakenhaz's terrifying smile, Derek's sincerity, and Bozdorf's aggressiveness.
From the rise of power to the Sword Sentinel, from the history of Blessings Town to the joke about Kohen, and then to the dazzling nine-pointed star flag …
At that moment, it was as if …
It was as if someone had broken a mirror.
What was left for Thales was a floor full of countless faces that could not be pieced together.
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