“Zombie! Why are you here?”

In the smelly and damp sewer, D.D, who was holding an eternal lamp and holding his nose with nowhere to go, looked shocked and yelled at the big man sitting next to the broken wooden table.

 Glover glanced at D.D, unarmed his weapon without saying a word, and pulled a duck leg away from the food bag that D.D brought.

In every corner of the sewers, the Star Lake Guards were mobilized to follow the Prince's members while carrying out safety inspections ("Aside from cockroaches, spiders, rats, black, dirty, smelly and feces and urine, what on earth is there in this wretched place")? Isn’t it safe?” - Niexi squatted by the pool with a look of disgust on his face, holding his nose to stir up the sewage), while looking at this place that never saw the light of day in shock, sighing that His Highness is usually submissive and humble, but he actually hid this thing at the critical moment One hand.

On the other side of the passage, a man sat up from the hay bed and made a dissatisfied hum.

 “Wow, and you, dumb—I mean, handsome brother Rolf!”

Doyle waved happily and said hello, and the lamp shadow swayed, illuminating the entire passage.

Rolf frowned and stared at him for a while, then let out a warning growl before lying back on the bed, turning over and facing the wall.

 “He just finished his shift.” Glover took a bite of meat and spoke concisely.

"So, starting from the North Gate Bridge, you guys have been missing..." Huaiya stood guard at the small wooden door where the prince disappeared, holding a small book and frowning.

 “Your Highness’s order.”

 At the other end of the wooden table, Miranda took a sip of the freshly brewed yerba mate and said calmly.

 “And my dearest, dearest Mira!”

D.D turned around and opened his arms with a look of surprise on his face:

“Oh my God, what kind of place is this? Why are you three hiding here?”

Did you fail your mission and have no shame in going back to see His Highness?

"Be careful," an unfamiliar voice came from the corner, causing Custa to stop as he prepared to check the dungeon door. "Don't get too close to that door—we have calculated that it is the maximum distance for the prisoner's superpower to take effect. "

Everyone frowned.

“Ah, I recognize you, you are that saucy old friend from Seychelles...” Doyle patted his head and said to the speaker in the corner, a slovenly man holding a sword.

"Knight Cassian?" Wyatt recognized this man and looked shocked, "Why...are you here too?"

Cassian didn’t even look up:

 “Your captain is not here?”

Huaiya looked puzzled:

"He, Lord Marius said that this job is too simple, we can do it ourselves... But you just said prisoner? Superpower? That means, the killer is behind here..."

Everyone was shocked when they heard the words, and looked at the wooden door one after another. Some were confused, some were surprised, and some were wary.

 Nexi turned around, confused:

 “What? Which killer?”

Huaiya ignored him and just flipped through his small book hurriedly, suddenly realizing:

“His Highness said that his weapons were taken from him…I see, that’s it…”

 He raised his head and looked at Knight Cassian who was concentrating with his eyes closed with mixed emotions.

“That means that all of this is a trap set by His Highness and Miss Hilley?” Paul said with a frown, his palms passing over the wall.

Most people raised their eyebrows and were surprised.

"Misleading," Cassian gently stroked his sword, "at least that's what the lady said."

“Wait, you mean,” D.D reacted after hearing this, “the young couple didn’t actually fall out?”

Cassian ignored him, and Wyatt focused on his own records.

“So that night, the mouse didn’t escape,” Morgan snorted, “it just changed its cage.”

"He can never escape, that killer, that swordsman," Miranda said faintly, deep in thought, "with or without a cage."

"I don't know whether he is caged or not, but I know he is dead," Glover spat out the bones and said harshly, "Bah, you are a clown who plays with people's hearts."

“Yes, it doesn’t matter how high your skills are, or how extreme you are,” Paul’s eyes flashed, “In the face of power, he is just a clown, fighting as a trapped beast.”

Cassian curled his lips imperceptibly.

“His Highness has been here for so long, so he must have failed to persuade him to surrender, right? Let’s just say, when will we start to torture him to extract confessions?” Niexi geared up angrily, thinking about how to avenge old grudges.

Only D.D stared at the small door of the dungeon, with a complicated expression and a sense of loss, and allowed Glover to plunder his food bag without politeness.

 The Xinghu Guards completed the safety inspection according to the procedures, arranged their shifts, and found a place to rest.

"But," Wya couldn't help but say, "Prince Thales and... and your lady are inside, alone in a room with the captives. Is it really safe?"

Everyone turned their eyes and stared at the small door.

"I don't know how your Highness is doing," Cassian said. "As for Miss Hilley, don't worry, she is very safe."

 The one whose safety is in danger is the prisoner.

“The killer is an extreme master after all, and he is also an evil vampire,” Paul said calmly, tightening the weapon on his body, “What makes you so confident?”

 Cassian was silent for a while:

"experience."

 Everyone looked at each other in confusion, not knowing why.

at this time.

 “Ahem…”

D.D coughed seriously to attract everyone’s attention:

"So, Zombie, Mira, and Mute, you are carrying out important responsibilities under His Highness's orders? And you have been hiding it from us?"

 Glover and Miranda looked at each other.

“Yes, because it’s best that as few people know about this as possible…”

"Such an important task, why doesn't he...your highness let me do it?" D.D said pitifully, looking like his dream was broken.

 Obviously he is the most promising guard officer in the guard!

 Glover showed a troubled expression and looked at the others as if asking for help, but they all looked away without loyalty.

"Okay," the zombie had no way to turn to, so he had no choice but to continue, "Actually, it's you..."

"Actually, His Highness plans to entrust you with an important task to bear." Miranda suddenly spoke, interrupting Glover.

D.D’s eyes lit up and his ears perked up.

 “What? What an important task?”

 But Miranda's expression darkened.

"But the price of that important task is too high," she said quietly, "in order to complete the task, you must die."

After the words fell, the sewer fell into silence.

 “Death, death?”

D.D suddenly turned pale.

He felt the looks from the people around him and coughed awkwardly:

"Death, death...I, I...I am not afraid...not afraid...afraid...afraid..."

 Doyle was submissive and his tone softened:

"I'm afraid... I'm afraid I'm not up to it... After all, it's such an important task, and I'm too, too..."

"But His Highness couldn't bear your death, so he gave up." Miranda took a sip of the yerba mate brought by Xinghu Castle, and the bitterness entered her throat without changing her expression. "He was afraid that you would feel guilty, so he asked us to hide it from you."

"What a pity!"

D.D suddenly roared, startling everyone.

I saw that the Doyer guards who were born high looked resolute and depended on death. In the sewer with a bad smell, he waved his hips in a boldly:

"I still owe your highness my life! If the prince orders me, I will not hesitate even if I die, even if I am shattered by swords, mountains of fire, and sea of ​​fire!"

Miranda and Glover looked at each other with complicated expressions.

D.D stared at the small wooden door where the prisoners were locked, his eyebrows were flying, and he deliberately raised his voice, which shook the sewer:

"Your Highness is wise and kind, and he cares for his subordinates. We have nothing to repay! We can only-"

boom!

A prosthetic leg spun out from the hay bed, smashing the D.D Company man and his heroic words into the ditch in the middle of the passage.

Miranda, who was well prepared, had quick eyesight and quick hands, pushed out the scabbard, and accurately hooked the immortal lamp that Doyle had taken out.

  “Told you.”

In the flickering light and shadow, the zombie sighed, threw away the bones in his hand, and grabbed the prosthetic limb flying into the air.

 “He just finished his shift.”

　　——

 “I changed my mind.”

In the dungeon, with a nimble movement of his fingers, Hilley pulled the dagger wrapped with ribbons out of Thales's hand.

"This dagger is very useful," she said carelessly, ignoring Thales' widened eyes, "lend it to me for two more days."

Two days to play?

Taylors was in disbelief.

“I don’t understand,” Thales said dissatisfied, “Why do you have to use it as collateral?”

 Does she know what this dagger means to him?

Or, does she actually know?

 The JC dagger that you specially selected?

"Who knows if you will regret it halfway and burn the bridge?" Hilley swung the dagger back and forth in the air, not forgetting the onomatopoeia in his mouth, like waving a toy, "You have to leave a token?"

“I’ve said it before, I can write documents, letters of guarantee, letters of commitment, sign and seal, everything…”

“Words don’t matter. But if you regret it in the middle of the night and I really commit suicide, at least people will know that I died with the prince’s dagger.”

“You don’t really think I’m going to push you to commit suicide—”

At this moment, the chains holding the prisoner made a sound, interrupting the two of them.

"You, that night, you were in front of the entire Emerald City..."

Lausanne II, whose face was dirty, twisted his head with difficulty, gritted his teeth, and was in disbelief:

 “Performed a play?”

Tales and Hilley both fell silent and looked at each other.

 “You can say that.”

Tales sighed:

“Originally, in order to be more believable, I wanted to create a big scene. For example, in order to **** you away, Xi Lai did not hesitate to kill my guards and even directly threatened me..."

 Even the red paint for D.D to pretend to be dead is ready...

Hile played with the dagger and narrowed his eyes, seeming to enjoy Lausanne II’s shocked and regretful expression:

 “Misleading.”

Tales sighed:

"But firstly, my men may not be that good at pretending to be dead. Secondly, there are you, the vampires, and probably many masters who are secretly observing. Whether a person is dead or not, I'm afraid I can't hide it..."

 Three times, the budget in hand at that time, well, I'm afraid it couldn't support a "big event".

After getting the answer, Lausanne II was in a daze for a moment, and then the back of his head fell back to the cold stone ground.

"Okay, let's get down to business," Heeley inserted the dagger into a newly made leather sheath, "How is the progress over there?"

 Thales squinted his eyes and looked at Lausanne II for a while.

"It went very smoothly," he said slowly, while observing the prisoner's reaction. "In fact, most things went smoothly beyond expectations, and everyone at the top and bottom cooperated as expected, especially..."

 “Especially my brother?”

 Thales paused for a moment, then turned his head and found that Shilai's expression was cold and his tone was calm when he said this.

 He then nodded cautiously:

 “Yes…and Federico.”

Hile was unmoved.

Thales continued: "After learning that I was forced into a desperate situation by you, for various purposes, they all spit out a lot of things, including key intelligence and preparations—"

"The wound on your face," Heeley suddenly interrupted, "Did Zhan hit him?"

Thales paused and turned his head subconsciously:

“It’s okay, I didn’t hide on purpose, it’s just a minor injury—”

　　“Well done,” Heeley said coldly, without even looking at him. “You deserve it.”

 Tier was stunned for a moment, and then his face became helpless.

  Thank you very much for your concern and comfort.

"Why."

Handled to the ground, the dying Lausanne II struggled to speak: "Why?"

This question was confusing, but Thales knew what he was going to ask.

Tales and Hilley looked at each other, and the latter nodded.

 “Because I have to.”

Thales didn’t care that the dungeon was uneven, cold and damp, so he sat on the spot with his legs spread out in front of the prisoners.

"Ever since I entered the Emerald City, everyone has addressed me as Your Highness and been treated with great courtesy." Thinking of what he had experienced these days, the prince couldn't help but sigh. "The election will be more like this. Now I am the regent of Kongming Palace, covering the sky in this city with one hand." , the deposing of the duke can be decided with one word."

Hearing this, Xi Lai laughed disdainfully and gently fiddled with the dagger on his waist.

Thales was not angry, but also smiled, feeling helpless and regretful:

“But in the Emerald City, anyone with a discerning eye can clearly see that Prince Thales is of no importance at all.”

 Lausanne II looked at him.

"If you just look at the surface, the protagonists of this storm are Zhan and Federico. These two Kevin Dills, one has profound knowledge and tactics, and the other retreats in order to advance with hidden dexterity. They hold the two sides of the storm tightly. At the end, almost all the resources, forces and power chips inside and outside the Emerald City."

Thales said seriously:

"Yes, these days, the Emerald City has been experiencing ups and downs, whether it is financial crisis, security incidents, political struggles, trade difficulties, old cases, or the big news created by you killing according to the list. ’, to put it bluntly, it’s just the two of them surrounding the throne of the guardian duke on the south bank, playing chess in the air, attacking each other.”

The prince snorted softly:

“In comparison, I am unarmed and weak. I can only sit and watch them come and go, at best a messenger-even if I lock them both in my prison.”

　　No, it should be said that since locking them up, I have been going back and forth between Zhan and Feder more like a messenger.

Thinking of this, Thales sighed helplessly.

 “Yo, you are quite self-aware.” Healy snorted, not sure whether it was approval or sarcasm.

The eldest lady walked up to Thales and kicked him out of habit.

 The latter pursed his lips, moved his **** reluctantly to give up the position (which he had wiped clean with his **** and pants), watched Xi Lai lift up her skirt, and Shi Shiran sat down.

Lausanne II looked at the moonlight-blocking cover above his head, his eyes dull.

 But Thales didn’t care about the prisoners and just continued:

“But if you dig deeper, you will find that it is not surprising that I am in this situation.”

"Because this storm is essentially a game between Fuxing Palace and Kongming Palace, Yongxing City and Emerald City, and even the South Coast Territory and even ends the game between different forces at both ends of the sea," Duke Xinghu sighed quietly, "And I, at best I am just a A marionette has no autonomy or right to speak. Its only role, or the only freedom it is given, is to step onto the stage and say a few words at the end of the play, creating a scene between Zhan and Federico. Choose one of the two."

 Making decisions on the spur of the moment.

 Discretion.

 Thales recalled the two promises made by the king to him, and couldn't help but shook his head, feeling even more ironic.

"If this chess path continues, no matter who I choose as the Duke in the end, no matter who wins the chess game, it has nothing to do with me," Thales said solemnly, "I won't be able to exert even the slightest influence, let alone dominate the situation, and get what I want. desired result."

"This is the fundamental reason why I have a high status but am struggling in the Emerald City - from the beginning to the end, the power is not on my side. What's worse is that no matter Zhan En, Federico, Emerald City, Kongming Palace , all major forces, and even some of my subordinates have seen through this, which makes them even more unscrupulous and turn a blind eye to me."

Thales couldn't help but feel emotional when he thought of all the experiences he had experienced in the Emerald City these days, from warm reception to cold reception, from being responsive to everything he responded to, to being both obedient and unfaithful.

"Therefore, in order to reverse the situation, I can no longer follow the steps. I have to create initiative, seize bargaining chips, and obtain available weapons." His eyes became firm, "Use a more unorthodox but also more effective way to remind The entire Emerald City: I, the North Star, am at some point more important than Kevin Deere’s two candidates, more in charge of their interests and destiny.”

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ify in the sky when you raise your head, you can see the stars. When the sun sets at night, you can stretch out your hand to explore, and it may not be out of reach. 】

　　【For this reason, you must seize the power in your hands and use it when necessary, in order to expand it...】

 Thales shook his head and shook off the words in Corleone's letter.

"For this reason, I had to take a step back, sacrifice a little image, and create an embarrassing appearance of a big fall, so that everyone can see my existence - a person who was cornered by the Emerald City, so I have both The future king has the reason and determination to put the Emerald City in danger."

Thales said quietly:

　　”Rather than a good son who listens to his father and travels, follows the rules, and is constrained at every step for the sake of a perfect plan, a transitional vase that is hard for a strong dragon to defeat a local snake.”

Hilai sat next to him and rubbed his gloves, without raising his head when he heard the words:

 “Misleading, again.”

 Lausanne II, who was lying on the ground, had his eyes fixed and trembled slightly.

 “The same goes for Hilley.”

Tales glanced at Hilley:

“Before, Hille was just the Duke’s sister. Everyone respected her, sympathized with her, and pitied her..."

Miss Kevin Deere snorted disdainfully:

"Oh really?"

Tales coughed:

“But even if they suggested that she temporarily take over the position of city lord, they would just treat her as a puppet and a vase, and they would actually use her for their own agenda.”

 Thales turned his head and looked at Lausanne II:

"Until that night, after I kidnapped you and defeated me, she was no longer the rich lady of the Iris family, but the only one in the entire Emerald City who dared to openly resist the prince - or, in other words, resist the royal power - the benchmark. She was Storm. The participant is the savior of Duke Zhan, and is very likely the savior of the Emerald City."

 “Or the Destroyer.” Hilley added expressionlessly.

Tales raised his eyebrows:

 “And a flag, a scapegoat flag for disaffected South Coasters without the courage to resist to hide under.”

 “You mean the scapegoat,” Healy sneered, “and the target.”

 Do you like to tear me down so much?

 Thales hid this sentence in his heart and changed the subject:

"Speaking of which, Heeley, I guess there are many people trying their best to find you, right? Whether they are trying to dissuade you or trying to surrender..."

 “You want to know?”

"May I?"

"Can't."

The exhausted Thales looked back.

"You deceived the entire city...and made them afraid, and then what?" Lausanne II struggled to speak, "What do you plan to do with the sunken Emerald City?"

  “Not much to do.”

Tales spoke decisively.

"The direction of the wind has changed. I was desperate and desperate. I used the excuse that Sheeley had stepped in and the situation was out of control. Starting with Zhane and Federico, I used coercion, inducement, provocation, and coercion to seize more than one weapon from them. - Finance and taxation, diplomacy, military, public security... Ironically, these are the bargaining chips they use to hold me back and threaten each other."

Thales smiled sarcastically:

"Then, I found the major forces causing trouble: political careerists fishing in troubled waters, closed-minded and conservative local elites, Emerald City bureaucrats who took advantage of the situation, opportunistic business guilds, and street gangs who followed the trend. With the weapons and chips that came to me, I repeated my old tricks to identify their position and find out their trump cards..."

 He recalled the various people he had met at Kongming Palace:

"So one after another, I went from high to low, down layer by layer, and repeated it back and forth. Depending on the target, I would either take the overall situation into consideration and show tolerance, or I would get angry and fight to the death, using the new chips I got from the upper level - most of them were ambiguous. Secrets and promises - taking advantage of the information gap and power gap, moving it to the next level, and transforming it into truly usable resources and real authority."

Thales narrowed his eyes:

 “To build consensus to the greatest extent possible, eliminate conflicts and opposition, and exchange for compromise and cooperation.”

Thales exhaled, put his hands back on the ground, and sat on the ground in an inelegant manner:

"So in the end, it seemed that the Emerald City could not afford to sink, but in fact it was just threatening my Emerald City with fake death. Under the premise that I neither chose Zhan nor Federico, neither sided with Iris nor asked the royal family to take action, It was resurrected and started functioning again.”

Tiles’ eyes sparkled.

 In this way, he has truly entered the game.

 Really possess the qualifications to play chess.

　　Pa,  pa,  pa,  pa…

 The dull and rigid applause rang out, interrupting Thales's thoughts.

"Yeah," Heeley's face was cold, his tone was stiff, and his two palms touched each other mechanically, "It's great."

Well…

Thales coughed awkwardly when he came back to his senses:

 “Well, there’s actually no need to applaud…”

"If no one cheers," Hilley continued to applaud, expressionless, "it will be so embarrassing for one person."

 Actually, it’s very embarrassing now.

Tales quickly coughed and interrupted the applause.

"In short, Xi Lai and I, one bright and one dark, are like two sides of the same coin," he turned to the dazed Lausanne II, "let the Emerald City, which was already out of control, be in the same situation - the opponents used Return to the normal track with the suspicion and anxiety that opposes me and clamps down on me."

 After the words fell, there was no response, and the dungeon was extremely quiet.

 The killer himself just had dull eyes and said nothing, just like a dead corpse.

“Tsk, look how proud you are, His Highness Thales,” after a while, Hillai didn’t even bother to speak, “Is things going so smoothly? No accidents?”

Tales raised his eyebrows.

That is…

 But he was heartbroken.

 “In fact…”

Thales hesitated and said:

“I always feel something is not right when negotiating with some of them…”

Hilai turned his head:

"Um?"

The more Thales thought about it, the more he was wrong. He described in detail the back-and-forth negotiation process with representatives of several different forces.

 “They saw through it.” After hearing this, Hilley said firmly.

Thales was stunned:

 “What? Who? See through?”

 “Who else could it be? Karabyan’s evil twins!”

Tales frowned.

Hilai said disdainfully:

"I know that pair of **** very well. Do you think they will leak information to you and show their goodwill and make promises to you without any benefit and only a bunch of unfulfilled empty words?"

Thales’ eyelids twitched:

"Well…"

“Just because you have a lotus tongue and what you say is better than what you sing?”

"They...they didn't surrender, at most they were just waiting for a price..."

"You suddenly went crazy and said you wanted to marry you? At the moment when you exposed them as the mastermind behind the scenes? What is it about you, Prince Thales, that attracts them? Is it money, power, or destiny? Are you going to die early?"

Tales stopped talking.

Hilai wrapped his knees and snorted coldly:

"Although they are vicious, they are never slow. When you say, 'I have made enough concessions,' they will see through it, or at least begin to suspect: It was deliberately arranged for you to suffer in my hands. They may have guessed that you have gradually jumped out of the vase and begun to take the initiative in the chess game."

Thales couldn’t help but frown:

 “They...are so powerful?”

 “You are too young!”

"Then, why didn't they expose me? Instead, they cooperated with me in acting..."

"What's the benefit of exposing you? Will it make you really angry and flip the table with them?"

“Then why don’t you just talk to me and cooperate with me directly?”

"What's the point of begging you to cooperate? On the contrary, they can only pretend to be deaf and dumb, show off their airs, and look like they are unwilling to force themselves." Heilai said coldly, with a contemptuous tone, "In this way, with you This idiot can only take advantage when he imposes conditions - as if you owe them a favor!"

 Thales froze on the spot, speechless.

"The same goes for that old man with a shaved head," Heeley's face was solemn. "When you left his intelligence book, but refused his help, and even refused to let him come to find me in the corpse tunnel, he probably noticed something. Clues.”

She glanced over, her eyes like knives, cutting through Thales' defense:

“Otherwise, do you really think that someone as smart and sophisticated as him, who has been around the Emerald City for decades, would dare to reveal his true feelings and tell the truth in front of a powerful person like you?”

Taylors was speechless.

All right.

Maybe…

"You said, those people before," the prince thought about something, said with difficulty, "Hasha, Dusuan, and even local officials like Melahovich and Seychelles...how many people saw it?"

Hirai watched him silently.

"That Seychelles knight, according to you, messed up that arrest and has a lot of responsibility. He should be anxious to find me and Cassian and win back the victory," the eldest lady said helplessly, "But the same , what did you tell him, 'No need to search', 'There are no shortcuts in politics', and then he really obeyed and refused to search? Gave up? Didn't send the Emerald Legion to pursue it again? In front of you, at least in front of the entire Emerald City Just for show?” Thales frowned and thought for a moment:

 “No…no, it seems not.”

The Seychelles knight was uncharacteristically...obedient?

 Hold on, that means...

“And the successor of the Grand Inquisitor, Inquisitor Ibonin, you said that every time you lied about the coming wrath of the kingdom, he was the one who took the lead and said what you didn’t say?”

Thales turned his head numbly:

 “Ah…um.”

Hearing this, Heilai looked at him faintly, and after a long time, he let out a long sigh.

“I understand. Among the people you have met, there must be quite a few who have seen through ‘misleading’.”

Tales was shocked:

 “What? Then why are they...”

“Because they are smart enough to know they cannot expose you.”

Hilai held his face in his hands and shook his head helplessly, looking like a child who cannot be taught:

“Because they see not only the benefits and acting, but also the determination you show by doing this—the determination not to be controlled by others, not to be a supporting role for the two Irises.”

Tales was slightly surprised and blinked.

“If at this point, there are still people who want to oppose you,” Heeley snorted disdainfully, “then maybe it’s time for them to stand up and accept your determination head-on.”

Taylors was stunned.

What's the meaning?

Everybody knows.

 Everyone pretends not to know.

 Everyone…

"snort."

After thinking about something, he spoke quietly, with a hint of complaint in his words:

 “People from the South Bank.”

 At this time.

 “Hahahahahahahahahahaha…”

Sad laughter sounded, and both of them turned their eyes to look at the captives on the ground.

 “Come and go, confused...”

 Lausanne II closed his eyes:

 “This is politics, this is...destiny.”

 Thales and Hilley looked at each other.

very good.

finally.

 Have spoken so much and analyzed the situation for so long.

 Finally, this inexperienced master took the initiative to speak.

 Now, how do we get him used to speaking, communicating cooperatively, and finally delivering what we want?

Tiles nodded to the girl from the Kevin Deere family, who coughed:

"By the way, who taught you this method? Your counselor?"

 “Yes, my counselor taught him, his name is Anonymous.”

This time, Heeley really frowned, puzzled:

"who?"

"Haven't you heard of it?" Thales was elated, "The treasure of South Coast legendary literature, the author of "The Records of the Emerald Mysterious City" is anonymous!"

Hilai frowned.

 “Okay, no more joking.”

Tales coughed:

“But does the book I’m talking about really exist, or was it handed to me by the Foreign Secretary…”

Historically, the relationship between the ‘eight-fingered’ King Horace and the then Duke of Iris, Cork, was bad, and they were at war with each other. Seeing that a war between Eternal Star City and Emerald City was inevitable.

But the king and the duke, who had disliked each other since they were ten years old, and became sworn enemies as adults, in the storybook, because of Prince Hyman and Miss Regina's clever strategies, they fell in love when they met. Suddenly he came to his senses, turned enemies into friends and reunited, stopped the mobilized war machinery, and allowed hundreds of thousands of people to return home the same way they came.

Do you believe it?

Taylors snorted softly.

The voice in his heart said disdainfully: Is it possible?

Stories are just stories after all.

 However, if the legendary story of "Emerald Mystery City" has traces and is not groundless...

If the legendary prince and princess really played a role in it and left their names in history...

 The most likely explanation is...

Tales has sharp eyes:

Long before the king and the duke, the mortal enemies, understood each other, Heyman and Regina took action in advance, running back and forth, manipulating and controlling various forces and groups inside and outside the Emerald City, and reached an agreement and unified position.

In this way, we can make the final decision when admonishing the monarch and prevent the disaster of war.

As for Horace I and the Duke of Cork, the reason why they agreed to withdraw from the army and turn the war into friendship may not be because of their conscience and family affection, wisdom and wisdom, but simply because they had no choice but to do so.

 Because they truly saw the attitudes and positions of all forces in the country behind the actions of this pair of children.

When no one on either side of the enemy wants to fight a war, if they, as the lord, still insist on giving orders and insisting on promoting the war with their own strength for their own selfish interests, they will neither get support nor make any profits. , it will only fall into a quagmire of internal and external difficulties, unjust principles and little help.

Similarly, hundreds of years later, as long as Thales and the others have figured out the major forces driving the Emerald City forward, clarify their attitudes and positions, and use them for my use...

Then even if we don’t reach an agreement directly with the two Iris, and don’t choose sides between Kongming Palace and Fuxing Palace, we can still eliminate the storm.

Also avoid getting into shit.

Thales concluded with emotion:

“Historically, the ways in which politicians have solved crises have generally been as follows: showing bad and worse futures, persuading all parties and class groups with conflicting interests and unwillingness to give in to accept proposals, and making compromises in order to avoid greater losses. , concessions and sacrifices, and then use the benefits concessioned by all parties to fill the loopholes that caused the crisis."

  To re-establish balance.

"Emerald Mystery City... Well, now that the Emerald City is no longer a mystery, it is considered stable, and my brother can no longer hold you back." Heilai's eyes sternly asked, "What about what you promised me?"

Tiles, who was originally smiling, fell into a deep expression.

Hilai’s eyes were extremely sharp and he was looking at him eagerly.

"I know."

He looked back at Shilay seriously:

 “I will do it.”

Hilai did not speak, but just stared at him for a long time, then snorted and looked away.

"That's good."

Tales gritted his teeth.

 It was quiet in the dungeon.

Hilai looked at the motionless killer in front of him and suddenly said: "Do they like each other?"

Thales was startled:

"What?"

Hilai sighed quietly:

“You said, ‘Southerners’ Hyman and Miss Regina, when they got married, did they really like each other?”

She turned to look at Thales with clear eyes:

 “Or do you have to do it for the sake of the overall situation?”

This question stumped Thales.

 “I don’t know.” He lowered his head and looked at the damp ground in the dungeon.

Hilai snorted unsurprisingly.

 “I knew you would say that.”

“Please, they were people from hundreds of years ago,” Thales said solemnly, looking at the darkness in the dungeon, “I really don’t know.”

"Is it."

Hilai looked in the other direction.

 “Then I guess, at that time, they themselves...”

Hilai slightly curled up his lips:

 “I don’t know either.”

Hearing this, Thales was silent at first, and then chuckled.

"Maybe."

The silence lasted for a while. Finally, Shilai couldn't hold it any longer and took a deep breath.

"Now, killer," the eldest lady stood up, crossed her hands, and stretched her arms, "we have talked a lot to you here, and you should know what your situation is, but you haven't been touched at all. No indication?"

 Lausanne II was expressionless and motionless.

Thales also had to stand up and frowned:

“We just want to know: How much do you know about Federico and the old case of the assassination of the Duke of Leinster?”

 Lausanne II remained silent, like a stone statue.

Hilai was a little impatient:

 “Or do you want to open your heart in another way and say what’s on your mind?”

 Hearing "open your heart", Thales suddenly felt bad.

Hilai sneered and said:

“Perhaps, meet your old friend from last time? What’s his name? Joaquín?”

 Hurrah!

The effect of this name was immediate. The stone statue on the ground suddenly came to life, and the chains on its body shook under the struggle.

 “You will go to hell,” Lausanne II twisted his head desperately, gritting his teeth with deep hatred, “Monster!”

Tales' heart sank.

"That will be after you," Seeing that the threat was effective, Shilai showed a satisfied smile and moved his fingers, "It's too soft to eat. It seems that you really miss your old friend..."

 Lausanne II's eyes turned red, and he subconsciously wanted to stay away from the girl in front of him.

It seems that it is not a girl, but some kind of savage beast.

“Don’t worry, it will only take five minutes. I guarantee that you will reveal all the details about how many lovers your mother has…”

At this moment, Thales held down Hilley's wrist:

 “Hile.”

The eldest lady turned around in confusion:

"how?"

Taylors took a deep breath.

 “Please, don’t be it,” he said earnestly and solemnly, “Don’t be the soul bone.”

Hearing the name, Heilai's face darkened.

“Soul Bone is its code name,” the eldest lady said calmly, “I usually call it Jacques.”

 Thales let go of her hand and shook his head slowly but firmly:

 “Don’t be Jacques.”

Hilai snorted softly and turned to the trembling captive:

"If you don't dare to look, you can go out first..."

 “Have you gone out to see how Slimani is doing?”

Hile made a move.

 She turned back and looked directly at Thales.

"Okay, I know you are pedantic and soft-hearted," she said with a helpless expression and her tone was slightly softer, "but this guy, this **** who gets paid to kill people is not a good person. He has a lot of blood debt and deserves to die..."

 “It has nothing to do with who he is.”

  Thales shook his head:

 “It’s just about who we are.”

 Losanne II on the ground had his eyes open. He was originally staring at Hilley, but then he looked at Thales.

Hile's smile disappeared.

"Mr. Thales, Teacher Thales, Thales is a great person," she said sarcastically, "If you like to teach others so much and teach me how to do things on my territory, you will even have to interrogate me..."

"Please, Heeley," this time it was Thales' turn to soften his tone, almost begging, "for the sake of me lending you the dagger."

Hilai hesitated for a moment.

She looked at Thales with a sincere expression and snorted disdainfully.

"Okay," Heilai touched the dagger on his waist and rolled his eyes, "Then, can you give me the dagger?"

Thales’ eyes moved:

"What?"

“How about giving me the dagger and we follow your method, no matter how pedantic it is?”

Tales looked back at her in surprise.

 He looked at the JC on the other side's waist, his lips moved, and finally he sighed:

 “Please, Heeley.”

 “Oh, reluctant?”

"I can give you other things, as long as they are available in Xinghu Castle... But this dagger was given to me by a very important friend, and it saved my life..."

But Healey raised his finger.

"No, no, no, it has nothing to do with who gave you the dagger..."

She narrowed her eyes:

 “It just depends on who you are.”

 Tiel suddenly choked.

 “Hmm? You have nothing to say?”

Hilai showed a victorious and proud smile, with a hint of contempt.

  She turned around and pulled up her gloves:

“Then you go out first, I’ll be done in a moment…”

Thales watched blankly as Heeley stepped closer to the killer who couldn't help but tremble and curse.

 He looked at the dagger on the opponent's waist, closed his eyes, and swallowed.

 “Dagger, I can’t give you that dagger.”

"snort."

 “But I can lend it to you for as long as you want.”

 “I know—what?”

Hilai turned around in surprise.

Thales let out a breath and nodded firmly:

“Whenever you get tired of playing with it, give it back to me—as long as you keep it well.”

Hilai was stunned.

 She took a few seconds to understand the meaning of this sentence, touched the dagger in disbelief, looked at Thales, and then looked at the captive on the ground.

 “Are you... just because of this scumbag?”

Thales shook his head:

"I said, this has nothing to do with whether he is a scumbag, it only has to do with us being..."

 “Oh, come on!”

For some reason, Hilley was quite dissatisfied and interrupted him with his hand:

 “Stop teaching me how to be a good person!”

 “I didn’t…uh, I’m sorry…”

But Hilley still seemed angry. She pulled out the sheathed dagger and stared at it for a long time.

 “I remember, you never left this thing without you.”

 “Yes.” Thales answered cautiously.

 “When you encounter danger, touch it as soon as possible.”

"Yes."

“Then give it to me? I can play with it for as long as I want?”

Tales took a deep breath:

 “Uh, yeah?”

Hilai suddenly chuckled and shook the dagger without caring:

“Hmph, then I guess the friend who gave you the dagger is not that important.”

This sentence stirred up Thales' memories and thoughts.

He looked at the JC dagger, thinking of the past, and sighed:

 “On the contrary, she is important.”

Hearing this, Xi Lai’s expression changed.

Thales looked confused:

 “But I think she’ll understand.”

 Recalling the appearance of that person in the past, the prince unconsciously raised the corner of his mouth.

She can understand her own actions of risking her life to save the beggar, and even takes risks to help...

 You can also understand your current choices.

Hilai looked at the dagger in his hand, remained expressionless for a while, and then turned around.

 “Of course…”

The next second, the eldest lady suddenly turned around and waved her arm, throwing the dagger at Thales!

 “Of course she understands!!”

　　咻!

Thales was shocked by the sound that broke through the air!

 Fortunately, Yuhe Sin sensed something and activated it at the right time, allowing him to reach out at the critical moment and accurately catch the flying JC dagger—fortunately, it was sheathed.

But Thales, who was so frightened, had not yet come back to his senses. He held up the dagger he had finally caught, feeling his numb arm, and raised his head in shock:

"why-"

 “Take it away!”

Hilai looked sullen and gritted his teeth: "Take it back."

Thales was stunned. He raised his dagger:

 “But you don’t want to borrow—”

 But what greeted him was a wave of curses:

 “Who cares about your smelly dagger anymore?”

 Thales subconsciously held his head and backed away, feeling a little aggrieved.

Why?

Hilai took a deep breath, his chest heaving, still staring at him sullenly.

Thales spoke carefully: "Then..."

 “What are you still doing?”

The eldest lady put her hands on her hips, interrupted him angrily, and pointed in the direction of the prisoner:

“Don’t you want to interrogate him gently and kindly? Go ahead! You are wasting my time!”

Thales was so frightened that he didn’t know why. He held the dagger in both hands, neither giving it away nor hiding it:

　　"I'm not...I just, I just thought if you don't like this dagger..."

 At this moment, the captives on the ground let out a long sigh.

"Okay, Your Highness, shut up." Lausanne II closed his eyes, looking helpless and painful. "Every time you open your mouth, it will only make things worse."

Tales was stunned.

 What does it have to do with you?

 But he followed the good example and quickly shut up.

Hilai’s eyebrows were raised:

 “None of your business, prisoner!”

 Lausanne II snorted lightly and did not answer.

Thales hid the dagger and helped:

 “Yes, yes! What does this have to do with you—”

Hilai turned his head sharply and stared at Thales' words.

 “That…then I’ll go…”

Thales smiled ingratiatingly, pointed at the prisoner, tiptoed around the eldest lady who was still angry, and leaned towards the killer.

 “You will be eaten.”

 But before he could clear his throat and speak, Lausanne II spoke first.

Thales was startled:

"What?"

 I saw Lausanne II opening his dead eyes and looking at him faintly:

 “Either by her or by someone else.”

she…

Thales swallowed his throat, turned sideways, and secretly glanced at Hilley, who had become angry for no reason.

But the subtle movements were captured.

"What's wrong? Continue the interrogation? I won't eat you!"

 Thales was startled and turned back to look at the prisoner.

"unless…"

 The seriously injured Lausanne II was lying alone in the dungeon, with mixed emotions in his eyes:

"Unless, Your Highness, unless you learn to let the kindness and cold-bloodedness, kindness and cruelty in your heart coexist peacefully."

 Just like...that former highness.

　　Tales pondered after hearing this.

"And if you still have any mercy, Your Highness Thales, then please don't waste your time on me."

 The killer slowly closed his eyes, locking the pain and despair into the bottomless darkness:

 “Be quick and finish me off.”

Looking at the other party's expression, Thales felt something.

“Well, I’ll tell you the truth, Lausanne II, whether that’s your name or not.”

 Under Hilley’s disdainful gaze, he frowned and sat down in front of Lausanne II.

“The reason why I came to you now instead of leaving you to be tortured by some of my polite guys is because...”

Tyle paused.

“Despite your sins and bloodshed, strangely enough, one of my favorite guardsmen seems to think…”

 He narrowed his eyes and approached the prisoner:

 “You are not hopeless.”

 Hopeless…

 Lausanne II opened his eyes and stared at Thales who looked serious.

 The next second, he let out the biggest, longest, and most sarcastic laugh in his life. (End of chapter)