230 The Strongest Chess Piece. Three

Everyone's focus was back on Thales.

Thales exhaled and smiled.

"Where are the others?" Thales glanced at everyone and closed his eyes. "What we are about to do is extremely dangerous, and this may cost our lives."

The rest of them exchanged a few glances.

"Your Highness, I have said this since we first met." Wya put on a resigned yet determined smile. "This life and body of mine will be yours to order for the rest of my life."

Thales shrugged.

Genard the veteran frowned. "In my opinion, you have a different style compared to Duke John… but why not?'

"Don't look at me!" Willow said nervously. "I will follow all of you wherever you go."

Ralf saw Thales' gaze landing on him, and he could not help but frown. He raised his hand into the air and did a couple of hand gestures.

"Do not ask.

"Just do it."

Thales smiled.

'This tone… Does he still think he's in Blood Bottle Gang?'

"Alright, looks like all of us have agreed." Thales exhaled in relief. He looked at each and every one of them but his expression darkened. "Even though this choice may cost us our lives."

No.

Thales sighed deeply at the bottom of his heart.

With this strategy, someone's life would definitely come to an end.

But since the decision had been made…

Thales' eyes focused.

"But what are you going to do?" a discordant voice chimed in.

Everyone turned around.

"We only have a group of defeated, wounded soldiers who have been forced into hiding and fleeing. In addition, there are only a few White Blade Guards." Behind Kohen, Miranda Arunde looked at the prince coldly. "You are only a seven-year-old brat, what can you even rely on to defeat Lampard and protect the Northern Territory?"

Miss Arunde's gaze was incredibly sharp, and her question was extremely harsh. "On top of that, rescue the kingdom?"

"The same question," Nicholas asked bluntly. "Are you truly thinking about sending us to our deaths and make the citizens of Dragon Cloud City 'feel touched'?"

Thales lowered his head and was silent for a few seconds.

"What do all of you think?" the Prince of Constellation asked quietly.

The crowd looked at each other.

Putray furrowed his eyebrows.

Mister vice diplomat let out a puff of smoke and whispered, "In my opinion, no matter how we try to face it, we are totally outclassed by Lampard."

Kohen folded his arms and threw a questioning look at Raphael, but the latter ignored him.

Putray flatly stated, "Lampard has nearly two thousand men, and all of them are part of Black Sand Region's regular army. They are soldiers who will execute all orders without fail. They disguised themselves as patrol guards and even occupied the First Gatehouse. Because of that, they managed to control Heroic Spirit Palace."

Nicholas lifted his head with a cold look in his eyes. "Dragon Clouds City can suppress his army. I will personally lead the patrol soldiers, Waltons' recruits, and the White Blade Guards serving as vanguards in the attack. Regardless if they are from the gatehouse or Heroic Spirit Palace, I promise, they will not last a quarter of an hour."

"If a small lord like you can use the appropriate authority to mobilize this army, which will probably take a day, and make them charge against Dragon Clouds City without hesitation and attack the city gate before rushing into Heroic Spirit Palace, then you're right," Putray retorted without batting an eyelid.

'That was my original plan.' Nicholas forced himself to swallow these words and stopped speaking.

Mirk patted him on the back.

Putray exhaled and continued, "Among his men is the supra class swordswoman Kroesch, who know about our manpower inside out. There are also a number of supreme class elites as well. Be it the Ground-Shaker or the Fire Knight, if they lead a charge against us where we can't prepare ourselves, in a short time, all of us will be defeated."

Mirk's expression froze after he listened to this point.

"He has alliances with the likes of the Red Witch, Shiles and Vlad." Everyone was all ears as Putray made his analysis. His face got darker with time. "His information network is pervasive. His connections reach far and wide. I can bet that when we get near Heroic Spirit Palace or the First Gatehouse, we will be discovered within five minutes."

"Let's not forget about the Shadow Shield." Thales sighed, "And there's also Charleton."

After Putray heard that, his gaze darkened. "Right, there's also Shadow Shield and Charleton." 

"We're in the middle of an absolute disadvantage in this situation." The vice diplomat let out another puff of smoke with a worried look. "Your Highness, all of us from Constellation have been said to be the murderer in these incidents. Apart from a few White Blade Guards and the neutral temple, we are all on our own. It is difficult for us to face the public."

Everyone's expression turned solemn.

Even all their excitement and eagerness from a while ago faded to emptiness. 　　

"Unless Lampard directly surrenders"—Putray put down his tobacco pipe and exhaled—"I do not see any chances of success at this point."

Thales did not say a word. He only observed each person's expression.

"Then, why not just let Raphael find a Disaster Sword to help?" Kohen shrugged snappily. "It is much quicker that way."

Most of the people furrowed their eyebrows.

Nicholas and Mirk stared at the young man from the Secret Intelligent Department with a hostile expression.

"That's right." Raphael snorted aloud and looked at Kohen. "We might even get a Great Dragon to help us. I am very sure we will win."

The others shook their heads.

Little Rascal's expression changed, and she touched her glasses without realizing.

Ralf grunted, then gestured with his chin to the Bright Moon Goddess.

"Ah, this time I understand the mute's meaning." Wya sighed as he gazed at the Phantom Wind Follower.

"What he meant was, we should just pray to the Bright Moon Goddess. It is a more reliable method." As everyone's eyes were on him, the prince's attendant lifted both his hands towards the statue. "We may even get to meet her."

Putray sighed as he touched his forehead. "If all of us—"

"Are you all done?"

The second prince suddenly spoke up, interrupting Putray.

Thales raised his head and looked at all of them with brightly burning eyes.

"Once, there was a special teacher who told me..." He showed a sly and confident smile as he thought of that memorable battle and that unforgettable warrior. "Before a big fight...

"...We should change our mindset." Thales held up his right hand and gently pointed to his forehead.

All of them glanced over.

"Change our… mindset?" Miranda asked curiously.

Among the puzzled crowd, Raphael had a thought appear in his head, and he seemed to be subsequently immersed in his thoughts.

Thales exhaled and began to work his brain again, which had been thinking for several hours.

"The Archduke of Black Sand Region seems to have gained the upper hand in everything in this situation, and he has taken all the initiatives." The scene from yesterday flashed across his eyes as he informed them, "They have full control of the whole situation, and we do not have enough power to launch a counterattack."

After that thought, Thales smiled.

'Your advantage is so great that even if your ace is hit, you won't feel any pain. So, do you actually think that you will lose?'

But he felt a little solemn. In this world, no one was able to understand this concept.

Thales lifted his head after these thoughts, and forced himself to lift his spirits.

*Pa!*

The second prince gazed at them silently, hitting his fist on his other palm as he said, "But is that really the case?"

"You have another idea, Your Highness?" Putray's eyes lit up.

But out of Putray's expectations, Thales shook his head and said, "No, you have analyzed it accurately.

"But even though he is as strong as a calamity, he can't change a person's views or turn the situation at hand around." He raised his head, his eyes were firm.

"Even if they are powerful enough to destroy the capital of Eckstedt, murder all the aristocrats of Eckstedt and even spread death threats to every Northlander, there will still be no change in Northlandic traditions. There will still be no change in the spirit of Eckstedt. Forcing people will not change their minds. They cannot destroy the one true precious thing on this land."

Kohen rubbed his hair. His expression did not change. He looked straight into Wya's eyes as if asking, 'What?'

Wya shrugged. 'I don't understand.'

They were not the only ones. Nicholas frowned in puzzlement.

"What are you talking about?"

Thales' pupils shrank.

"What I mean is, do not just limit our views to a simple contest of strength," the second prince said plainly. "The battle we are about to face is neither a gamble on two people arm wrestling, nor a score count on a chess board, much less a fair duel between knights of ancient times.

"A force of one or two thousand people is nothing. They cannot change the minds of Dragon Clouds City's aristocrats. Besides, the warriors of Dragon Clouds City can defeat them once they show up," Thales said in a calm voice while continuously thinking about the doubts he had in his mind. "Kaslan and Tolja can easily kill any little pawn, but even if you merge their strength together and increase it tenfold, the archdukes will never crown Lampard with a willing heart. They will never act like everything that's happened is just an illusion.

"The Red Witch seems very powerful, but if she doesn't have the support of the power she has been depending on, the Secret Room's eyes and ears, including all the secrets they have in hand will be nothing more than scraps of waste paper.

"Shadow Shield as well as Charleton may sound scary, but they are just assassins and spies in the dark. What controls them is real power, the conflicts and fights born from power. Once they don't have the support of power on their side, they will be like fish out of water, there is not much value in them.

"They are only Lampard's chess pieces—Kentvida, the cunning one who can come up with all sorts of scheme; Tolja, who is brave and skilled in battle; Kaslan, who has a great reputation; the Red Witch, who has her spies everywhere; Marquis Shiles, who has connections far and wide; and the army of Black Sand Region, who will execute all his commands without question." When he said these words, Thales shook his head. "But we cannot be befuddled by his chips and chess pieces."

Raphael smiled plainly. "That's interesting."

'What a familiar argument.'

Miranda lowered her head as though she was thinking.

Kohen widened his eyes and blinked three times in puzzlement. 'How is that interesting?'

Thales sighed, his gaze was incredibly serious and solemn.

"For your information, these chess pieces are nothing on the chessboard when it comes to the strongest, scariest, most powerful and one-of-a-kind chess piece."

The prince's airy voice roise into the air, "That person is the biggest threat of all.

"That piece is the strongest of all, the scariest existence in their camp."

No one spoke a word. Most of them were thinking hard, even Kohen.

Raphael rubbed his fingers, Miranda held the hilt of her sword, Nicholas' gaze was as cold as ice, and Mirk looked at Little Rascal in deep thought.

Putray seemed like he had forgotten to smoke, letting the pipe burn on its own as he tentatively said, "You mean…"

Thales lifted his gaze as he pictured the scary opponent in his mind.

"Yes," he said absent-mindedly. "A peerless, ambitious person with great dreams and matchless bravery."

He gently nodded his head, but his gaze was full of dread and grimness. "He is the most powerful chess piece." 

He softly said the name, "Chapman Lampard."

In that moment, everyone was shocked.

"We cannot let the appearance of other chess pieces confuse us," the prince said in a soft voice. "All we need to do is target the crucial point. Everything else will fall into place."

Thales silently observed everyone's gaze and expression, not one word was uttered.

Until Nicholas raised his head doubtfully.

The Star Killer could hardly believe what he was about to say. "What you're trying to say is, decapitation?"

"I understand now." Without waiting for Thales' reaction, Kohen slapped himself on the head and his eyes lit up. "We will try our best to kill Lampard."

Thales almost spat blood after he heard their conversation.

He rolled his eyes and suddenly remembered what High Priestess Holme just said.

So, the prince tried his best to look relaxed, and he harrumphed softly. "You didn't hear what I just said."

Kohen's expression froze as his eyes widened.

Nicholas looked disgusted.

Thales exhaled deeply.

'Oh my God.

'No wonder.

'After saying those words… I felt seriously good after seeing how ignorant they looked…'

After he was done savoring the experience, Thales raised his eyebrows.

"I understand now." Finally, Miranda, with her sharp wit, understood what Thales tried to say. "What you're trying to say is that we will not do it the hard way, instead circumnavigate all those obstacles and defeat Lampard's plans from the roots, and then tear down whatever it is that he intends to do?"

Putray closed his eyes.

"That's right, the root of everything comes from Lampard." The second prince smiled in a relieved manner. He smiled and said, "We will determine his intentions and find out his weaknesses."

Everyone looked at each other.

"It's easy for you to say those words," Nicholas said unsatisfyingly. "What is Lampard's weakness? What is his intention? How are you going to defeat him?"

Thales blinked. "I have a theory about that, I just need proof. As for defeating him…"

Thales took a deep breath. His eyes sparkled as if there was fire burning in them. "Since we have to deal with his strongest chess piece, we also have to send our strongest piece onto the battlefield, where both sides are in the most unfamiliar, disadvantageous, and isolated situation."

Thales said sharply, "Then, we will decide the victor and the loser in one go."

Miranda furrowed her eyebrows.

"Wait a minute, did you just say our strongest chess piece?" the swordswoman asked curiously.

"Who are you talking about?"

Kohen threw a silent glance at Raphael, and then at Nicholas.

"The Secret Intelligence Department?" the police asked tentatively, "or the legendary anti-mystic equipment?"

Thales raised his eyebrows.

Putray looked at Little Rascal suspiciously, causing the latter to be quite horrified. "What you're referring to is Walton's only bloodline, the orphan? The legitimate heir to Dragon Clouds City? But her gender…"

Nicholas relaxed his arms, looked at his surroundings and asked curiously, "Is the strongest chess piece myself, since I'm in supreme class?"

Thales ignored all three of them. He then sighed through his nose to suppress the dissatisfaction in his heart.

"All of that is correct." He ignored what the other people said. His eyes lit up like flames in war, just like how they had when he faced the Blood Mystic, he spoke while burning with eagerness. "But the strongest chess piece that I will be placing into the alignment is…"

The second prince grinned as he raised his right hand, hit his chest and shouted, "Thales Jadestar!"