Cold wind blew into the room. Thales could not help but tighten his clothes.
"So, since last year, you instigated the Alliance of Freedom to rebel against Eckstedt, stirred up a political storm in Dragon Clouds City, sent Constellation's cavaliers through the desert, and made me return to the country via Western Desert … All of these are part of the 'Sand King'?"
The fire was faint. The king across the long table was silent for a while.
"Some of them are."
King Kessel looked up and stared straight at Thales.
"Some of them are not."
Thales exhaled and connected all the things that had happened since the previous year until now.
"Then why not the Northern Territory?" The prince sounded slightly tired.
"Why not the place where you also have Broken Dragon Fortress as a fulcrum and the duke's family has been completely overthrown by you? It's almost like a direct jurisdiction?"
The king did not answer. He only stared coldly.
Thales sighed and looked back at the king.
"Please, if you don't tell me, I can't help you."
King Kessel did not reply. His gaze was deep, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Thales stared into the king's eyes, trying to find something in those blue eyes.
Finally, King Kessel snorted and looked away.
"Precisely because Val Arunde is still in my prison, and because the first heir of Cold Castle is an orphan girl who can't convince the masses …
"All eyes will be on the Northern Territory and Renaissance Palace's every move."
The king's voice became deeper.
"And the officials sent by the kingdom to the Northern Territory … are still young and lack prestige.
"In comparison, Western Desert's' State of Emergency Control 'is still in effect. It's more convenient for us to do things."
State of Emergency Control.
More convenient.
Thales could not help but think of Blessings Town and what he saw and heard on his way to Western Desert.
"This makes sense," Thales said calmly.
"But it's not enough to stop you from reaching out to the Northern Territory."
The Iron Hand King suddenly looked up.
A few seconds later, he spoke slowly.
"The Northern Territory is, after all, adjacent to Eckstedt."
Thales raised his eyebrows in realization.
That was the reason.
King Kessel said in a low voice,
"It is adjacent to an enemy king who has just been crowned and is in his prime. Chapman Lampard can bring too many unexpected and unpredictable surprises."
As he said this, he glanced at Thales and changed his tone.
"Of course, compared to you, he is still far behind in this aspect."
Thales ignored his sarcasm.
"Why me?"
The prince said calmly,
"What's the Sand King's plan? Why did it have to be me?"
The Iron Hand King didn't say a word and just looked at him coldly.
Thales sighed.
"Do you always talk like this? You can't even say a word? "
The King stared at him, but his eyes were strange, as if he were looking at someone else.
After a long time, King Kessel finally spoke.
"Because we need a reason."
"Reason?"
King Kessel shifted his gaze and looked at the dark night outside the window.
"Because we have to deceive the cunning and treacherous people of the Western Wilderness, so that they won't be suspicious of the regular army of the royal family marching into the Western Wilderness, and use it as a bargaining chip for all our actions."
Thales understood now.
"Oh, to ensure the safe return of the heir to the throne. That's a good enough excuse," Thales snorted softly.
"They probably think that there are very few kings in the world who would not care about the safety of their heir."
The Iron Hand King's gaze was as sharp as a blade.
"It was just a joke." Thales shrugged.
"That's it? I'm a reason to cover the regular army's march to the west? "
King Kessel said coldly,
"We also need a guarantor."
Thales frowned.
King Kessel continued, "So that the people of the Western Wilderness will believe during the bargaining that the regular army of the royal family was forced to give up Blade Fangs Camp and withdraw from the Western Frontline, in exchange for the support of the troops mobilized by the dukes of the Western Wilderness so that you can be protected and brought back to the capital.
"And I will be that guarantor," Thales said faintly as he came to a sudden realization.
He said faintly, "I guarantee that there is nothing fishy about the Western Frontline that is within their reach. I guarantee that this bait is not harmful and can be taken without worry."
The Iron Hand King nodded, seemingly disdainful.
"Because there are very few kings in the world who would not care about their heir."
Thales was stunned at first, then he snorted in displeasure.
'Petty.
'I just made a sarcastic remark.
'How vengeful.'
Thales sat up straight and stopped thinking about it.
"So, in order to carve up the vast territory in the Western Frontline that you gave, the suzerains of the Western Desert who took the bait will gather their troops, willingly walk out of the castle that they have been entrenched in for many years, and walk into the camp of the regular army of the royal family without any precaution, so that you can capture them all in one fell swoop and save yourself the trouble of taking them down one by one?"
King Kessel was silent for a while.
"More than that."
The king said in a deep voice,
"For this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and to seize the huge profits from the desert trade route, the dukes of Western Desert who have been envious for more than a decade have prepared their assets, prepared their supplies, and even found business opportunities to make money from the war. They have done everything they can."
King Kessel looked at the door.
"All of that will become the budget for the expansion of the regular army of the royal family."
Thales snorted softly, not surprised.
"Sure enough, it saves time and effort to make up for lost gains on the spot."
The prince lowered his head, his gaze frozen.
"What happened to Anker Byrael and his father was not an isolated case, much less a coincidence.
"Because in the 'Sand King's' plan, the dukes of Western Desert were destined to be attacked by the forces of the desert, or even 'friendly fire' from the Legendary Wing and the regular army, losing everything."
Queen Kessel leaned back in her chair and nodded.
"When Western Desert suffered a crushing defeat and the war situation became urgent …"
His gaze sharpened.
"For the sake of the overall situation, in order to recapture the extraordinary Blade Fangs Camp, the regular army of the royal family, who came late, 'had no choice' but to break tradition and act at their own discretion. They punished and deprived the incompetent noble generals, and dispersed the defeated soldiers of the conscription army and reorganized them …
"Naturally, it was only right and proper, and they had no reason to resist."
Thales exhaled and continued, "But accidents always happen in war.
If things don't go well during the reorganization, and progress isn't good … "
King Kessel's gaze shifted and looked at him.
Thales paused. He recalled his first meeting with Mallos and understood a little.
"I'm guessing that since the heir of the kingdom is in Western Desert, for the sake of the kingdom's bloodline, Renaissance Palace would also be justified in sending reinforcements there to deal with accidents — such as the troops you sent to 'welcome' me."
Thales recalled the confrontation between the Western Desert Army and the regular army on the Avenue of Blessings.
King Kessel did not speak.
Thales said in a daze,
"As for the aftermath, what's done can't be undone. Whether it's the disbanded and reorganized conscription army, the nobles who are punished and stripped of their commanding rights, the families who have their conscription rights revoked, or Western Desert Hill, which has its military jurisdiction redrawn …
"Everything you want will be temporarily passed down in Western Desert under the guise of the 'Emergency Control Order' and in the name of 'wartime exceptions', just like Blade Fangs Camp and Blessings Town."
Thales recalled what the Count of Wing Fort, Derek Kroma, had said to him during the escort. He could not help but be lost in thought.
"One year, two years, five years, ten years, until … forever."
King Kessel snorted disdainfully, seemingly dissatisfied.
The lights flickered, and the shadows in the room swayed back and forth, illuminating the surroundings so that it was bright and dark. It was turbulent.
Thales took a deep breath.
He returned to the present and adjusted his state of mind.
"So, from the moment you negotiated with the Western Desert vassals and used the Western Frontline in exchange for them sending their troops, to when the regular army marched westward to rescue the prince, to when the foreign enemies took the opportunity to invade Western Desert and suffered a crushing defeat, to when the regular army was forced to resort to extraordinary measures to 'act on the spot', until the flames of war subsided and the dust settled …"
Thales' tone grew heavier.
"After such a combo, you will truly be able to 'twist' the scattered and disordered military forces of the vassals of the Western Desert into a rope.
"Change the military conscription system that has a long history."
Thales restrained his expression and slowly raised his head. He took in the king's figure across the long table.
"The name, reason, power, and benefits are all in your hands. Even if the other Western Desert vassals and the other nobles of the kingdom have doubts, they can't say anything, let alone raise their troops to resist."
There was no response from the end of the long table.
"Moreover, the Western Desert's matters have been settled in Western Desert. At the end of the day, this is just a sudden incident in a local area. It is not a mandatory decree that affects the entire territory, so it will not cause the masses to be agitated and pay the price of chaos in the kingdom."
There was a sentimental tone in Thales' words.
"Of course, the wool comes from the sheep's back. Be it the expansion of the army or the restructuring of the system, the source of the budget funds and conscription will be the money, land, and people of the Western Desert vassals. We won't even need to use much of the national treasury's budget. We won't suffer any losses."
The prince crossed his arms and took a deep breath. He recalled the warmth and dryness of Western Desert while he sensed the darkness and coldness of Renaissance Palace.
"Once this is done, from now on, from Blade Fangs Camp to Blessings Town, from Rickenan to Brave Souls Fort, even Wing Fort and Ruins …"
There was a hint of reverence in his tone.
"In the land of Western Desert, unless Renaissance Palace allows it, the local suzerains will no longer be able to conscript soldiers and command battles. The regular army of the royal family will become the only reliable source of legal armed forces and military service."
The king did not answer. Ballard Room was silent.
The Everlasting Lamp that was drifting about slowly became stable. It cast its own unique shadow on every single item in Ballard Room.
Thales gently rubbed the back of his hand.
"More importantly, this is just the beginning."
He looked deeply at the supreme king.
"With the precedent set by Western Desert, suzerains conscripting soldiers and vassals owning soldiers are no longer an inviolable natural tradition.
"When people slowly got used to the idea that 'only a king can have an army', the reform of the military system in all of Constellation also had precedents to follow. When the conditions were right, success would follow.
Thales suddenly remembered the great battle he saw in the desert.
"Just like a cavalry charge. No matter how flawless a defensive formation is, once a gap is breached and the flanks are exposed …"
He said in a daze,
"What's left is a wave sweeping through …
"Like a hot knife through butter."
King Kessel still did not speak. But this time, he turned his gaze away and no longer looked at Thales.
"What a 'Sand King'."
Thales could not help but sigh.
"In that case, Western Desert is really a good horse."
It can completely pull the chariot of the kingdom.
But …
"Until you appeared."
The king's voice suddenly rang, interrupting Thales' thoughts.
The prince could not help but frown.
"The Secret Intelligence Department's report after the incident stated that you encountered the regular army's patrol unit in the Great Desert, but you did not meet up with them according to the plan. Instead, you concealed your identity and disappeared without a trace."
The king's words seemed to have power. Accompanied by the howling of the cold wind outside the window, the Everlasting Lamp in the room kept flickering.
Thinking of the past, Thales hesitated.
"I …"
But King Kessel did not allow the prince to interrupt. His gaze became sharp and cold.
"On the night the operation started, you mysteriously appeared in the eye of the storm, and you even brought quite a lot of friends with you. Shadow Shield, Northlanders, Secret Room, and even quite a number of sword sellers followed you into the Prison of Bones. One day tour?"
Thales' heart tightened.
"About this …"
The king snorted coldly and no longer looked at him, "The people at the Western Frontlines do not have the boldness of those in Renaissance Palace. They are cowardly and hesitant, not daring to take the risk of losing their heirs, so they bided their time and dispersed their manpower, causing the operation to be seriously disjointed.
"And our spies should have urged the warlike orcs and Barren Bone people to attack the suzerains' army while the regular army was away, but they seemed to have sensed something beforehand. Not only did their main force not come, even their siege was just a feint, and they retreated the moment they came into contact."
When Thales heard this, he could not help but say,
"Err, yes, I heard that there is an orc called Kandarll in the desert …"
But in the next second, King Kessel's gaze was like a blade.
"Err …" Thales put away his smile and decided not to say anything else.
"It's fine."
The king ignored him. Instead, he stared at a weak and drifting Everlasting Lamp. The coldness and dissatisfaction in his gaze was clear.
"Williams was lying in ambush at the side of Blade Fangs Camp. That idiot has always been swift and decisive, but on that day, he dragged his feet and waited until the battle was almost over before he led his troops back to the camp and delayed the battle."
When he heard the familiar name, Thales instantly froze.
"This allowed the suzerains of Western Desert in Blade Fangs Camp to retreat calmly. The main forces of the Ruins, Wing Fort, Brave Souls Fort, and the three great families of Western Desert were also unusually vigilant. After they noticed that something was amiss, they stayed far away and did not fall into the trap."
Thales recalled the Duke of Western Desert telling him that "power comes from violence", and his frown deepened.
"After that, that old man Fakenhaz visited Blade Fangs Camp in front of everyone. Not only did he chat cheerfully with you, he even gave you his family heirloom sword. The news quickly spread throughout the kingdom."
Thales took a deep breath and remembered the Sentinel sword Fakenhaz gave him. He subconsciously clenched his fists.
"As for Crow and Black Lion, they acted as if they were fawning over the king. They ostentatiously and respectfully escorted you out of Western Desert. They also blocked the reinforcements sent by Renaissance Palace while they were at it."
King Kessel snorted softly.
"In the end, the Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department activated an emergency plan to try their best to reduce their losses."
His gaze was directed at Thales. At that moment, it was as if he wanted to dig out his heart.
"As you said, the matter in Western Desert was a failure.
"The Sand King failed on the verge of success."
Thales closed his eyes, leaned against the back of his chair, and heaved a heavy sigh.
So, that night, when he was running for his life in Blade Fangs Camp …
In places that he couldn't see, many soul-stirring and significant things were happening.
"But a mere failure of a horse, a mere failure of Western Desert, will not make the kingdom stop."
The king's voice became stern, causing Thales to open his eyes.
King Kessel's expression was extremely calm, but there was an endless storm in his eyes.
"That's why this letter was written."
Thales lowered his head and looked at the letter beside his hand. The Iris Flower's wax was dark and indistinct under the Everlasting Lamp.
"If Western Desert could not do it, we will change to another place."
The Iron Hand King's tone was cold and brooked no argument.
"No matter how much it costs.
"How much it costs?"
At that moment, Thales gritted his teeth.
Fakenhaz's voice rang faintly in his ears.
"And a person like your father, will he accept reality and give up, or will he look at me and Western Desert's strength in a different light …
"Go all out and pay back a hundredfold?"
"Now," King Kessel's gaze returned to Thales.
"It's your turn to speak."
'It's your turn.'
The king's words were calm, but they echoed in Thales' heart countless times.
"What do you have?
"What can you do?"
King Kessel said coldly.
"To make up for your foolishness?"
Thales was silent.
He stared at the faint light in the room, not knowing what to think.
"What?"
King Kessel sneered, his tone mocking.
"You can't even say a word after so long?"
But in the next second, Thales suddenly spoke.
"Do you hate me?"
His tone was ethereal and indifferent.
At that moment, even someone as calm as King Kessel could not help but feel puzzled.
"What?"
Thales took a deep breath and stared at the empty corner before he spoke absentmindedly.
"I'm asking …
"From Broken Dragon Fortress to Dragon Clouds City, from Eternal Star City to Western Desert, you have constantly schemed against me and used me. You have also repeatedly put me in danger, trapped me to death, and left your own son to the wolves."
King Kessel frowned deeply.
"Why?"
Thales sighed.
"Why do you hate me so much?
"Is it like what's written in many novels, that my birth caused my mother's death, so you bear a grudge against me?"
At that moment, King Kessel's gaze turned fierce!
"Or is it that my mother, TherrenGirana, did something that angered the heavens and made you hate her for the rest of your life before she gave birth to me?"
Thales stared at King Kessel.
TherrenGirana.
Sure enough, the name worked.
Because the Iron Hand King, who had always been resolute and resolute, was now frowning and his gaze was deep.
It was as if he was facing an unprecedented chess game.
Thales smiled.
"How can I complete the 'Sand King', promote the reform of the military system, and use it as a bargaining chip to prosper the kingdom …"
He gritted his teeth and stared at the silent Kessel the Fifth.
"Can't I get the truth about my mother in exchange?"
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