The rumbling of the wheels had gone far away. Lolist stood at the window of his bedroom on the fourth floor, looking at the streets that were gradually shrouded in darkness. He was silent.
"My lord …" Tagger's voice came from behind.
"What do you think?" Lolist did not turn around.
"My lord, this Earl Churjwick did not tell the whole truth. He said that he received news from the Trade Union about the Norton Family, and that he went to the Haneabada Archipelago to see the pyramid of human heads. This part should be true, which is why he was so afraid. About the battle between the four central duchies and the second prince in the capital of Fedeliga, that is probably half true. The results of the battle and not being able to find the second prince should also be true, but he lied about why he would ally with the Trade Union.
My lord, I was standing behind him, and I saw it very clearly. Every time he was nervous, his left hand would grip his trousers tightly. I noticed that he was nervous when you asked him about the agreement between the four central duchies and the Trade Union. When he answered, his left hand was also clutching his trousers tightly. You were standing opposite him, and your line of sight was blocked, so you did not see it …
Also, in the end, when he said that he came to the capital of Wenderbri to participate in the Knight Tournament with Duke Fisabulun, his left hand was also clutching his trousers tightly. I feel very strange. Why would he lie about such a small matter? Perhaps he knew that you came to propose to the Fisabulun Family, and his goal was Princess Silvia. He lied because he was afraid of you. Haha, my lord, you have an opponent … "
Tagger laughed gloatingly. He knew that Lolist would not be angry over such a small matter.
"Speaking of Princess Silvia, do you know why she left Wenderbri in a hurry to return to her family's territory?" Lolist asked without turning his head.
"I am not sure, my lord," Tagger replied. Tagger replied: "Through several guards of Grand Duke Fisablen, we heard that Princess Silvia had a little dispute with His Highness the Grand Duke when she left seven days ago. It is said that she asked the Grand Duke to stop holding this year's tournament, but the Grand Duke refused. Princess Silvia went to the Queen in tears, and then had a big fight with the Queen. She then hurried to the Eastern Wasteland Province with her guards and her godmother, the Great Swordmaster Sandy. In the past two days, His Royal Highness has sent three messengers to ask for the princess's return, but there has been no reply so far … "
Laurist stroked his chin. "Could it be that something happened to Duke Fisablon's lair in the Eastern Wasteland Province? It can't be. If something really happened, the first one to be anxious should be that old fox, Grand Duke Fisablun. Even now, he's still staying in the capital to prepare for the knight competition that's going to take place two days later. Obviously, there's nothing serious … "
"My apologies, sir. Our intelligence investigators are unable to enter the Eastern Wasteland Province. This is my dereliction of duty." Tagger said.
"It's none of your business. The Eastern Barren Province is the territory of the Fisablun Family. Furthermore, it doesn't have a big city like the Wende Buli Royal City. It can't be helped that they are very strict with the movement of people. Take a look and see if you can choose a few guards from the Grand Duke's bodyguards and bribe them. Make them our family's spies by the Grand Duke's side … "
"Yes, my lord. I will do my best."
"Also, check up on the nobles from the four central duchies. I have a feeling that their intentions are not as simple as Princess Sylvia …"
"Yes, my lord."
… …
"What did you say?" Laurist was stunned.
"Yes, my lord. The little prince and the great swordmaster of the Fulondor Duchy ran away with their thousand guards in the middle of the night last night. They even left behind the four carriages of gifts that they had prepared to propose to Princess Sylvia. Grand Duke Fisablun said that since they haven't proposed yet, these gifts will be the compensation for your victory in the duel yesterday. He's ordering people to pack them up and load them into the carriages. They'll be sent over soon. "
Tagger stood in front of Laurist and smiled bitterly. "My lord, we had originally planned to start with the little prince's attendants and personal attendants. After all, Count Churjwick of the Handa Duchy and Count Dalek of the Sabagi Duchy came here lightly. They only have three or four personal attendants, and all of them are taciturn and highly vigilant. They don't come out to the taverns at night, so we won't be able to get any information from them.
The little prince brought more than a thousand guards with him. Among them, there are close to a hundred personal attendants and servants. It's the easiest to get information from these people. After drinking three cups of horse urine and provoking them with words, they'll even spill the beans about peeking at their mothers bathing when they were young … Unfortunately, my lord, you scared them yesterday. That Count Churjwick must have told them about the power of the Norton Family. That's why they ran away in the middle of the night … "
"Uh …" Laurist had a headache. "Forget it. Anyway, the Knight's Tournament will last for a month. During this time, we'll slowly interact with the personal attendants of the two Counts. Maybe someone will leak a word or two, and we'll understand the intentions of the two Counts. Let's leave it to fate."
Around ten in the morning, Grand Duke Fisablun brought four carriages to Anna's hotel. He looked at Laurist, who was welcoming him, and laughed. "My lord, you really surprised me. I didn't expect you to destroy a kingdom. That's really amazing. "
Laurist was very modest. "You flatter me, my lord. That's just a pirate's nest. They call themselves a kingdom, but which country on the continent has ever acknowledged them? Everyone knows that if they didn't invade my family's territory, I wouldn't have bothered to deal with them. If it was you, my lord, you wouldn't have to go all out like I did. Just bring a random army and they'll be finished. Taking over the Golden Rivers by surprise like you, my lord, is a truly heroic feat. "
It was obvious that Laurist's words touched on Grand Duke Fisablun's pride. His mouth cracked open like a chrysanthemum. "Hehe, you're not bad, really not bad. The more I look at you, the more I admire you. You're young but not frivolous, and your martial arts are extraordinary. Good, good, good."
After saying 'good' three times, Grand Duke Fisablun remembered the purpose of his visit. "That's right, Count Norton …"
"My lord, you're my elder. Just call me Loke. Calling me Count is too distant." Laurist stopped Grand Duke Fisablun from speaking.
"Alright, then I'll call you Loke. It's like this. Didn't you win the duel yesterday? Originally, Prince Doke was supposed to pay you a ransom, but last night, he suddenly received a message telling him to return to the Flondor Duchy immediately. The situation was urgent, so he had to rush through the night. Before he left, he asked me to pass these belongings to you as his ransom, and to express his apologies. "
Grand Duke Fisablun spouted nonsense with a straight face. Laurist stood at the side and nodded seriously to show his appreciation. This was his appreciation for the Grand Duke's ability to live up to his trust and for Prince Doke to keep his promise and hand over the ransom. In reality, both of them knew that these belongings were prepared as a gift for Prince Doke to propose to Princess Sylvia. However, he had left them behind in a hurry to escape, and Grand Duke Fisablun had used them as the ransom for his victory in the duel.
At this moment, Laurist was curious as to why Grand Duke Fisablun would stand up for Prince Doke. According to Tagger's report, Prince Doke and the Great Swordsman had left in a hurry in the middle of the night without saying goodbye. Grand Duke Fisablun had only found out about their escape in the morning. It was said that the Grand Duke had even scolded them a few times in front of his guards. These four carriages of gifts should have been left behind by Prince Doke. Perhaps it was to compensate the Fisablun Family, but it was more likely that he hoped to borrow the Grand Duke's hand to deliver these gifts to Sylvia.
But why did Grand Duke Fisablun decide to pass these gifts to him in the blink of an eye? It could be said that he was cleaning up Prince Doke's mess. Why would the Grand Duke do this for no reason? He could have kept these gifts as his own. As for Prince Doke's bad reputation of being a coward and not keeping his promise for the duel, what did it have to do with him? He could have just stood at the side and watched the show like yesterday at the banquet! Could it be that the Fisablun Family had something to ask of the Flondor Duchy? That's impossible. Instead, it should be the Flondor Duchy begging Grand Duke Fisablun …
Laurist pondered in his heart, but his face revealed a kind smile. "I did not expect Prince Doke to be so faithful to the honor of nobility. As expected of the Prince of the Flondor Duchy. Actually, he could have just sent a servant to inform us. He could have paid the ransom at any time. There was no need to trouble Your Highness to make a trip here. "
Grand Duke Fisabulon's face twitched. He recalled what Count Churjwick had told everyone at the banquet yesterday, after Laurist and the others had left. The Norton Family had once destroyed the Hamneabada Kingdom last year and beheaded almost everyone in the kingdom, with the exception of twenty to thirty thousand young women, regardless of their age or age. Then, they used about two hundred thousand skulls to build a pyramid of skulls that was tens of meters tall.
At that time, everyone was stunned. They suspected that Count Churjwick was lying. Count Churjwick swore to everyone that it was true. He had even gone to see the pyramid of skulls. After seeing that terrifying thing, he even fell sick for a few days. Whenever he closed his eyes, it was as if the pyramid of skulls appeared in front of him. All the skulls on it were grinning and roaring at him. That was why when he saw Laurist today, he thought of that terrifying pyramid of skulls. How cruel must a person be to order the construction of such a thing? This was the real reason why he was trembling in fear in front of Count Norton …
If Count Churjwick had not come early in the morning to tell me about Prince Doke's escape, and asked me to do this to prevent you from getting suspicious and interfering with everyone's plans, I would not have come here to clean up that sh * tty Prince Doke's mess! Wasn't it because I was afraid that the Norton Family would send troops to interfere?
Grand Duke Fisablun patted Laurist's shoulder lightly. "It's alright, no need to be so polite. I am the host now. Everyone is here to give face to the Fisablun Family. Naturally, I have to solve some small problems for everyone. It's nothing much. The conference is going to start the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will host a banquet and invite all the nobles in the capital to come. I wish the conference a complete success. Locke, you can't not come … "
"Of course. Since His Highness has ordered, I will naturally go."
"Alright, it's a deal. Tomorrow, I will send someone to lead you there." Grand Duke Fisablun smiled.
… …
After the banquet on the second day, the Knights Tournament officially started on the third day.
However, Laurist was a little bored. He realized that he could not participate in the competition. He had to admit that he was not that thick-skinned to be able to kill a 3 Star Gold Knight in one move and then find other Silver and Gold Knights as his opponents. It was especially so when Grand Duke Fisabulon expressed that he didn't wish to see Laurist participate in the tournament. Laurist went along with the flow and agreed. Then, he sent his subordinates to participate in the tournament.
The Knights Tournament organized by Grand Duke Fisablun was still the same as before. Archery, swordsmanship, and duels on horseback. Archery and duels on horseback were not divided by Gold or Silver Impetus rank. They could be mixed. On the other hand, swordsmanship was divided into Silver and Gold ranks. The winner of the Silver-ranked swordsmanship could freely challenge the winner of the Gold-ranked swordsmanship. Of course, it was also fine if they did not want to challenge the winner.
That was why Laurist felt a toothache when he saw Redi defeat his opponents one by one. Wasn't this just pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger? Even a 1-2 Star Gold Knight was not a match for Redi, let alone these Silver-ranked challengers …
There was no need to mention archery. Jost was the only one in the competition, and he had only performed half of his skills. Most of the archers put down their arrows and prepared to try their luck in other events. With a freak like Jost in the archery event, it was better for them to not embarrass themselves …
The duel soon became the most exciting and exciting part of the tournament. Apart from the Silver-tier guards, Padt was the first to be eliminated. Baron Shahin and Baron Phelim, on the other hand, had won nine matches in a row and had already advanced to the next round. Aire was still resting at the side. He had already won six consecutive victories, and he only needed to defeat three more opponents to advance to the next round.
The rules of the Knight Tournament were similar to the rules of a duel. The participating knights must have a knight badge, a mount, a full suit of knight armor, a spear or a lance, and a long sword or other short weapon. They could only sign up after passing the examination. If they lost in a match, they would have to hand over their equipment and mount to the winner, or pay a ransom to the winner. If they were not satisfied with the amount of gold they had after losing, they could still register again …
The one who suffered the most was one of Laurist's guards called Roger. He was a 2-star Silver-ranked and had lost all four times. Since he was wearing the Norton Family's equipment, he could not hand it over to the winner, so he could only pay a ransom to the winner. His equipment was valued at a hundred gold coins, and he owed his family three hundred and fifty gold coins …
Laurist was very angry. He knew that he was no match for the winner, but he still insisted on fighting. Wasn't this just giving money to the winner? Thus, he ordered those who had lost once not to fight again.
"How many of our guards lost money?" Laurist asked.
Padt was very embarrassed, "One hundred and forty, forty-one …"
"What?" Laurist was stunned, "Why are there so many people …"
"My Lord, it's like this," Padt explained with his head lowered, "Out of the one hundred and forty-one guards, only ten or so unlucky ones, the rest won first and then lost. But, but the difference in their equipment made us lose money … "
Damn, Laurist finally understood. His guard first defeated an opponent, but the opponent's equipment was only worth thirty to forty gold coins, and the guard lost, so he had to pay a ransom of a hundred gold coins …
Laurist was very angry. No wonder his guards were always challenged as soon as they went on stage. Even a few Gold-ranked knights were shameless enough to ignore the rule that only Silver-ranked Knights could challenge Gold Knights, and challenged his Silver-ranked guards instead. They were treating his guards as human money trees, and each of them was worth a hundred gold coins …
"Those who want to fight in the future are not allowed to wear the family's equipment!" Laurist could only give this order.
"My Lord." Tagger appeared in front of Laurist, "We found that Duke Fisabulon's subordinates are vigorously recruiting knights who lost all their equipment and gold coins."
"Hmm?" Loriste was a little puzzled. A knight tournament like this was also the best place for some aristocrats to recruit their family's knights. However, everyone only recruited those knights who had performed outstandingly. What was going on with Archduke Fisabulon recruiting those unlucky fellows who had lost everything?
"Did you find out the reason?"
"It's said that they are not recruiting as family knights, but to recruit them into Fisabulon's army. If they perform well, after five years of service, they still have the chance to become Fisabulon's knights," Tagger replied.
This should be a recruitment, not a recruitment of family knights. Laurist did not care, "What are the movements of the two counts from the four central duchies?"
"My Lord, Count Dalek from Sabagi Duchy has participated in the horse duel. He has nine consecutive victories and is waiting for the next round. Count Churjwick from Handa Duchy did not participate, but only cheered for Count Dalek. They are behaving normally, and we did not find any secret movements. Also, the messenger that Duke Fisabulon sent to the Eastern Wasteland Province has returned. It's said that Princess Silvia refused to return, and the duke lost his temper and even smashed a golden cup … "
"There's also a piece of bad news, my Lord."
"Speak!"
"Don't you think that the movements of the Golden Knight in the arena are a little familiar? My Lord. Your army commander, Lord Roth, the Ferocious Tiger, left his post once again and sneaked into the capital of Windbri to participate in this knight tournament. In order to prevent you from finding out, he was wearing his own knight armor. If it wasn't for the golden tiger emblem that was branded on his armor, we probably wouldn't have noticed that he was living with those wandering knights in the tents on the other side of the square … "
"What, what the hell!" Laurist gritted his teeth, "When I return to the inn tonight, I want to see this guy who is showing off in the arena in front of me!"
"Yes, my Lord."
… …
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