v3 610 The only way

Chapter 610 The Only Way

"Really?"

King Kessel's voice came from across the long table, extremely cold.

"This is what you never forget?"

The shadow of the king was dragged onto the wall behind him by the fire, and a faint sarcasm appeared in his eyes:

"your mother?"

Thales stared deeply at King Kessel.

Thranjylana.

Li Xiya's chief priest, Queen Keya, the old crow, Grivo, and almost everyone who knew his mother had a completely different evaluation of this woman.

What about his father?

"Don't forget," the prince said softly:

"I inherited her name."

or more.

The king snorted.

"Gilbert shouldn't let you choose that middle name."

He spoke slowly, but indifferently between the lines:

"Meaningless."

Thales also smiled lightly and shook his head:

"As far as I know, you told Gilbert her name."

"Then what are you looking forward to?"

The king responded very quickly and said coldly:

"Expect your mother to be an outstanding woman with an extraordinary background? A well-educated, talented and intelligent female scholar, a noble-born lady, or a brave and fearless female warrior? So that you can be proud and dependent?"

Thales looked at King Kessel's expression and was surprised to find that this was one of the few topics that could allow the other party to respond with long sentences.

The prince tentatively said:

"So, is she?"

The king sneered, but his smile disappeared immediately.

"She is a bitch."

Thales' expression changed slightly.

"Like most prostitutes," King Kessel looked calm and disdainful:

"She's greedy and greedy, she pretends to be in front of guests all day long, selling herself to be paid-until she dies."

"I don't even remember her face."

After listening to the king, Thales remained silent for a long time.

"Bitch?"

Thales murmured in awe:

"prostitute?"

Hearing such adjectives, he first thought of the mysterious Seran, the desert slave girl described by the old crow Hexer.

Immediately afterwards, the portrait of Alf, "Oriental Yanying", flashed in the young man's mind.

However, he remembered the "Faxin" Belicia he had seen in Secret Division, and her sly posture fluttering under Raphael.

"Exactly."

"Your questions and expectations are meaningless," the king said indifferently: "You can get no comfort or peace of mind from her."

"To her, you are just an accident after a certain transaction."

A...accident in a transaction.

Thales couldn't help but clenched his fist.

He suddenly remembered the color in his eyes when Quick Rope talked about the girl he liked in the camp of Blade Ya.

[That girl. 】

[She is not a bitch. 】

[No. 】

"And your mother-in-law's sloppy gesture," King Kessel said coldly:

"It's almost ashamed of the royal family."

Thales took a deep breath and opened his fist lightly.

"You are right, father."

"Gilbert's biggest mistake was to let me keep her name."

The king's face remained unchanged.

"Because," Thales' eyes fell cold.

"If she is just an insignificant whore, you don't even bother to remember her appearance."

Thales raised his head and looked directly at the king:

"Then why do you remember her name?"

At that moment, King Kessel's eyes slightly opened!

Thales stared at his father, whispering the special name:

"Selan—Zyrana?"

When the voice fell, Thales had an illusion.

It was like the Ballard room suddenly entered winter, the temperature dropped sharply, and the air stagnated.

Even the lights no longer flicker.

And the source of all the cold is at the end of the long table.

The embarrassing silence lasted for ten seconds.

"I have given you a chance, child," the king's voice replied to the daily toughness and coldness:

"And you ruined it."

He looked at Thales deeply, only dead silence in his eyes.

The crime of the prison river in Thales' veins began to flow again, as if to break through the frozen atmosphere.

At that moment, the boy suddenly felt that the king's patience had ended, and his next word was about to call the guards.

So Thales is faster than him.

"Emorey."

The prince spoke softly, successfully freezing the king's gaze toward the gate.

King Kessel looked back.

"Emorey?"

Thales took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes, Emory Town in the Western Wilderness."

"This place is ruled by the Emory family and has a long history. The lord's last name is the origin of the place name."

King Kessel frowned slightly.

Thales recalled what Dele Chroma and Anke Bailar had told him about him, and he calmly said:

"A few years ago, the lord baron of this town suffered injustice. He wanted to turn to the Fuxing Palace to protest to the king for help."

"But on the way, we encountered misfortune, and my family died from the epidemic."

Thales watched the reaction of King Kessel, who remained motionless, but did not interrupt him.

In the next second, Thales changed his tone:

"But in fact, as an orthodox vassal of the kingdom, Baron Emory did not end up sick."

Thales gritted his teeth:

"He and his family are all three families that were in power by his princes and peers, Falkenhaus, Croma, and Bozdorf, allied forces raided and killed them."

The two were silent for a few seconds.

"interesting."

The king thought for a while, then slowly said:

"Where did you know?"

Thales' eyes darkened.

In Secret Department’s cell, Anke’s painful voice rang in his ears:

[He also said, in case I fail, in case I have to use this bargaining chip...]

[Be sure to give it to you. 】

[It can only be handed to you. 】

At this point in his thoughts, Thales took a deep breath.

"It doesn't matter," he repacked his mood and turned his attention to what was in front of him:

"The important thing is..."

Facing the king's scorching eyes, Thales spoke calmly and spoke loudly:

"In 414 years of the end of the calendar, the'creditor' Hyman II issued the "No Bleeding Order", prohibiting the vassals in the kingdom from fighting privately and killing each other..."

His voice became serious:

"However, the princes of the Western Wilderness are lawless and reckless."

"As vassals, they excessively abused the right of armed self-defense to murder Baron Emory in revenge."

Thales was talking about the Western Wilderness, but staring at the face of the iron-fisted king before him:

"The methods are cruel and terrifying, and the crimes are shocking."

King Ironfist's eyes lit up and the corners of his mouth raised slightly.

The prince's eyes sharpened:

"Is this reason, this bargaining chip, this horse enough to complete the'Sand King'?"

Thales' voice fell, and the surrounding lights flickered.

He stared at the king.

King Kessel was silent for a long time, the light in his eyes surging back and forth.

A few seconds later, the king gently closed his eyes and buried all emotions in his heart.

"But we can't use it."

King Kessel whispered:

"It's not news that the town of Emory was infected with the epidemic. The people of Xihuang dealt with it very cleanly, and there is no evidence."

Seeing the other's reaction, Thales couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yes."

He knows how to say:

"Unless it's not dead and unmatched..."

Thales' words stopped abruptly.

"and many more."

He looked at King Kessel's indifferent expression and figured out something.

The boy changed his color slightly, unbelievable.

"you know."

Thales looked at Kessel, frowning:

"You have known Emory Town for a long time, know this case?"

The next second, King Kessel opened his eyes lightly.

The king was expressionless and did not answer.

But Thales has already got the answer.

The young man couldn't help frowning.

"When?"

King Kessel answered calmly:

"When it happens."

Thales was taken aback:

"what why?"

Thales discovered that the conversation between King Kessel and him became extremely tacit understanding when it began.

For example, now, he doesn't even need to say "why let it happen" completely.

King Kessel looked at Thales faintly.

"A few years ago, the Border Development Tax Exemption Order affected a group of lords."

"Master Emory of the Western Wilderness is just one of them," Ironfisted King narrowed his eyes, "the one who is the most restless."

"If you make a little provocation, you will be hooked."

Thales' eyes froze in midair.

A little provocation...

Hooked...

At that moment, the words of Dele Chroma "The Crow" appeared in Thales' ears again:

[According to the baron, the countless upstarts spawned by that decree are eroding his interests, taking away his people, and cutting off his livelihood. 】

Secretly, the dying desperate words of Anke Bailar also resurfaced:

[Obviously, the Baron Emory couldn't help but feel the pain, and the king's decree had hit him too hard...]

King Kessel sighed slightly, and the following tone was a pity:

"However, the Western Wilderness is extremely sensitive to the wind and grass at his door."

"Before I could get the fish on the rod, I was cut."

Thales was startled.

Draw...

Tangent...

The words of Dele and Anker continue to emerge:

[Baron Emory recruits soldiers, mobilizes the army, intends to cross the Western Famine, make a "big news" that can be seen by all the stars, and "protest" to your majesty and the kingdom. 】

[So much so that he intends to put aside the tacit understanding with the three major families and do it by himself...]

Thales froze in his seat.

"It's you."

Thales was startled:

"The reason why Baron Emory raised his troops to protest is because you secretly pressured and deliberately incited? In order to find an excuse to intervene in the western famine?"

The iron-fisted king hummed softly:

"I said, he is just one of them."

one of them.

At that moment, Thales thought of Anke, who was tortured all over in the secret department.

And his broken, incognito lover.

"So, the tragedy of the death of Baron Emory and his family."

Thales has a hoarse voice:

"You are the initiator."

Thales stared at the desktop in front of him. The king's figure was projected on the opposite wall, dark and suppressed.

these people.

Their misfortune.

just……

The dust that power runs over.

"Excessive reputation," the king's voice was still calm, as if he didn't care:

"I didn't let the West Deserters kill them."

"Not to let them be cruel, they cleaned up the whole family in the castle, as well as the militia servants, and left nothing alive-it seems that they have learned a lot from Williams."

Murder.

Do nothing.

Emory.

Baylar.

And the bleak family that he can't remember the name in Grace Town...

And that night in the blade Ya camp, countless homes were destroyed...

[Noble, noble, ha, what the **** are these scumbags? 】On the barren ground, the emotion of the Dead Crow echoed in my ears.

Thinking of this, an unspeakable fatigue hit.

The teenager couldn't help but suffocate.

Thales took a deep breath, trying to maintain his emotions.

"I understand."

The prince lowered his head, avoiding the opponent's sight, holding back the disgust in the sentence:

"That's it, it's easy to calculate."

"No, it's not good."

But King Kessel's voice still penetrated his eardrums unstoppably:

"We underestimated the keenness and decisiveness of the Xihuang people, and we only got a headless case with no evidence, and we also made them more vigilant."

The king's eyes sharpened.

"Until now."

Thales trembled slightly.

King Kessel raised his head sharply: "It's not unmatched, is it."

"You have proof."

His attitude is firm, beyond doubt.

Thales' arm tightened.

evidence.

Anke's last voice appeared faintly:

[In any case, your Majesty will be very happy to get this chip. 】

【very happy. 】

Thales took a deep breath and swallowed.

He raised his head with difficulty and looked directly at the king's eyes.

But at that moment, there was only endless depth in Kessel's eyes.

A few seconds later, the boy exhausted all his strength and bit out two words between his teeth:

"I have got."

His tone was extremely tired:

"irrefutable evidence."

irrefutable evidence.

The voice fell.

"Not bad."

King Kessel's expression remained unchanged and said lightly:

"I am listening."

I am listening.

Thales took a deep breath, but stopped at the moment he opened his mouth.

[So, your Highness, what is the price? 】

Anke's desperate voice sounded out of thin air.

Thales coughed unnaturally and forced himself to say:

"In that tragedy, there was another person..."

[And Tina, Tina...]

[She will always, never, never forgive me. 】

Thales stagnated again.

"There is another person..."

Thales' lips were open, and his words were stagnant.

and many more.

Once he said it.

That girl, Anke's lover, has been ruined by the hideous power of her.

There are also Anke’s younger siblings, those who have lost their parents and elder brothers and are helpless in the Western Wilderness.

What kind of future will you face?

How many people will have their destiny changed because of their own words?

Thales was breathing in a trance.

Seeing his appearance, the king frowned.

[That girl named Tina... Is she fine? 】

【the best……】

A tortured face appeared in front of his eyes.

Anker Baylar.

Amidst helplessness and despair, the young man who planned to sacrifice his life to take risks, but ultimately failed miserably.

In what mood did he tell him this bargaining chip?

[But now, it doesn’t matter anymore. 】

[Not important anymore. 】

Thales took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

Use it, use this chip.

Because this is also Anker's choice.

This is what he expected.

Is not it?

Moreover, if he is not here, it will be ended.

Thales turned his gaze to the desktop, the letter from Iris asking for tax.

The wheels of the kingdom will not stop.

If this horse fails, King Kessel will find another one.

Even if you have to face more blood.

Thales clenched his fists.

So he must continue.

have to.

Thales raised his eyes and forced himself to appear determined:

"Under Baron Emory who died unjustly, there is still an orphan."

The king's eyes lit up.

"The poor girl witnessed a terrible scene. She escaped the butcher knife and was lucky to survive."

Thales gritted his teeth, hiding his trance and depression:

"Her identity and experience will prove to the world: what a terrible mistake the most powerful family in the Western Wilderness has committed."

"The reform of the military system in the Fuxing Palace and restricting the abuse of military power by vassals is justified and imminent."

When the voice fell, Thales let out a sigh, his eyes sullen.

He still said it.

The color of the king's eyes slowly changed.

He stared at the prince across the long table for a long, long time.

As if looking at an excellent weapon made of fine steel.

Finally, King Kessel laughed.

His laughter was very soft and weak, but it effectively eased the atmosphere in the room.

"This surviving orphan."

The King of Iron Fist slowly leaned back, and his tone became calm and relaxed for the first time:

"where is she?"

where is she?

Thales found sadly that the king didn't even bother to ask her name.

but.

but……

[Think about it carefully, what did you look like after you became a prince? 】

A long time ago, the feeling of express rope in the hut resounded.

[Can you still choose your own path? Follow your own heart? 】

Thales' arms trembled slightly.

[Are you still you, or Thales? 】

[Or has it... become something else? 】

"I'm listening," the king said with interest:

"Duke Thales."

Thales took a deep breath, forgot these hesitant thoughts, and adjusted himself.

"You will know."

Thales looked up suddenly, his expression firm.

"But first of all, everyone who followed me into the palace today will be acquitted."

"And I don't want to try Marico Vanguard's whip, despite his dedication."

At the end of the long table, King Kessel said nothing.

Thales let go of his anxiety, gritted his teeth and said:

"Secondly, unblock the Mindith Hall and release my guard. If something comes at me in the future, don't embarrass them."

The king remained silent, but tapped his finger on the table.

"Also, Anke Bailar, who rushed through the banquet with his sword and ran into the royal family,"

Thales frowned:

"You have to forgive him, release him, and show the king's magnanimity."

"This includes properly resolving the conflict between him and the Doyle family."

But thinking about it, Thales is stuck again.

Anke, no matter how the king forgave him...

[She will always, never, never forgive me. 】

Thales bowed his head sadly.

"Before showing the chips," King Kessel hummed softly, as if he was in a good mood:

"You really want a lot."

Thales exhaled and raised his head vigorously.

"And I haven't finished."

"Finally, about the'Sand King'."

Sand king.

King Kessel glanced around.

At this moment, Thales' expression was firm and cold.

"Your army expansion plan in the Western Wilderness, including how to deal with the local lords, must be handled by me personally and completed by me."

Boom.

The iron-fisted king tapped his fingers heavily on the discussion table, and there was a palpable muffled noise.

The king slowly raised his head and looked at Thales.

The prince looked back at him firmly without avoiding it.

"pardon?"

The king spoke softly.

Hoarse, but indifferent.

Thales straightened his chest and faced his father.

"Yes, I will personally write to the Duke of Western Wilderness and others, and use this case and this bargaining chip to threaten them to submit."

Thales decisively said:

"I promise, Cyril Falkenhauser and his vassals, they will listen patiently, they will be good, and they will cooperate with the schedule of the Fuxing Palace and support all the actions of the Military Affairs Department."

"They will reflect on their own military system's omissions and gradually reduce the number and frequency of recruitment."

"They will accept your royal standing army to garrison and accept the reorganization of the Western Wilderness Defense."

"They will be happy to support the day-to-day work of Wings of Legend, and pay taxes to support the expansion of the standing army, fill your financial gap, and protect the border security of the kingdom."

Thales took a deep breath:

"Western Wilderness will become a good horse, and your plan for the'Sand King' will not fail."

He solemnly said:

"The chariot of the kingdom is still rolling forward,"

The Ballard room fell silent again.

But this time the silence was particularly ominous.

Several unextinguishable lights burned to the end and went out quietly.

King Kessel's eyes also changed accordingly, the fire in his eyes disappeared, and the darkness was overflowing.

"you?"

He looked at the prince from a distance, with a playful tone:

"You do it?"

Thales nodded decisively.

"I."

"I'll do it."

King Kessel looked sharply:

"why?"

Thales sorted his face and replied:

"Because that orphan girl, this bargaining chip only I know best and how to use it."

He had a light meal, gritted his teeth, and told his father and himself:

"Because this is the only way."

The only way.

King Kessel did not immediately respond.

He just sat quietly in his original position, as if he had become a statue again.

After a few seconds, the king calmly spoke:

"Tell me, how did you know the whereabouts of that orphan?"

Thales froze.

He didn't change his face and left no flaws: "I have my own channels..."

"Falkenhauser."

King Kessel spoke softly, interrupting Thales.

Falkenhaus.

As soon as the surname was exported, the prince was shocked.

I saw the king snorted and looked away, his tone intriguing:

"He gave you more than a sword, right."

Thales did not change his face, but sighed in his heart.

He got it.

The king said coldly:

"His gift is your courage to enter the palace today."

Thales pursed his lips lightly and said nothing.

Yes, the king saw through.

But in just a few words, he could see through.

From just now, all his little tricks have been hidden in front of him.

Just like in the past.

but……

Thales took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Yes."

Thales looked up at the king.

His tone is steady and indifferent, and his attitude is open and calm:

"The things in Emory Town, including this bargaining chip, were indeed handed over to me by the Duke of the Western Wilds-in some way."

The king snorted as expected.

"And you accepted it, listened to the bewitching of the old bone, came to me, and bargained with self-righteousness."

Without waiting for him to reply, King Kessel shook his head slowly:

"silly."

"Stupid."

Thales clenched his fists under the table.

Yes, threats, persecution, courtesy, deception, no matter what means, can not restrain the king of iron fists.

But so what.

He is no longer the trembling beggar in the abandoned house.

Not anymore.

And King Kessel was not the tall figure he could only look at in the Mindis Hall six years ago.

Against an opponent like King Kessel, what he needs is not lying, concealment, or sophistry.

Rather than facing difficulties.

Thales fixedly stared at the king's face.

"In this case, there is even more reason to ask me to come forward and write a letter to the Duke of Western Wilderness, father."

He leaned forward and said sincerely:

"So that everyone can take a step back and solve the problem in a way acceptable to all parties."

"The new "Sand King" may not be so fast, and it may last for months or even years, but it will not be so tragic, and there will be no unmanageable consequences."

"You will achieve your goal eventually, and they don't have to bleed."

The Ironfist King sneered.

He lowered his head, his face slowly covered by darkness:

"why?"

Thales frowned.

"I took out the witnesses of this case, and asked her to come forward to testify, so that the lords of the Western Wilderness were torn apart and rebelled, and they became the target of everyone..."

The king's eyes were cold:

"Let the royal standing army enter the Western Wilderness again to punish the traitors and eliminate the evil."

"The same can achieve the goal."

Thales shuddered.

"It's true."

Thales spoke again, trying to grasp the topic:

"But with all due respect, the reason Falkenhauser gave this bargaining chip was to put down his body and take the initiative to show weakness, to cool down the intensified conflict between the Fuxing Palace and the princes of the Western Wilderness..."

"He is not so pure and kind!"

King Kessel suddenly leaned forward and screamed, shocking Thales.

"And only you can be so stupid!"

The king glared at his son:

"Falkenhauser gave me a bargaining chip, so that I can clean up the western wasteland, innovate the kingdom, and achieve my goals..."

He changed the conversation:

"But only through—you?"

Thales looked at the king blankly.

The iron-fisted king leaned back in his chair and sneered:

"No, he gouged out his own flesh and blood, and gave you a sword and a bargaining chip."

"It's definitely not for you to be a peacemaker."

The young man felt cold.

King Kessel narrowed his eyes, his eyes were like sharpened blades:

"He wants to use this to show you: The power and energy you have not enjoyed in the past six years is within your reach."

"As long as you grab the chips and face me..."

The king spoke softly, utterly cold:

"Raise the sword."

Thales became nervous and defended:

"Father, I have no intention of being an enemy of you, nor will I threaten—"

"Then why doesn't he come to me directly?"

King Kessel interrupted him again:

"Since you have to bow your head to show weakness, why not face the throne?"

Thales' words suddenly stagnated.

The lights in the room flickered rapidly, making the light and shadow dangled.

"And you, do you think I don't know what you want to do?"

Kessel V looked at each other coldly, piercing Thales's heart.

"Why are you not willing to reveal your bargaining chips and the whereabouts of that orphan? Why do you pretend to be reserved and wait for the price? Why do you insist on coming out in person to execute the'Sand King'?"

Hearing this, Thales was agitated, only feeling cold in his heart.

There was silence in Ballard's room.

"Because you know that too, right."

The king's voice calmed down, full of lethal softness.

"Because you also like the sword he gave, you can't put it down."

"Difficult to extricate yourself."

Thales frowned tightly, his fists clenched on his knees.

"As the prince of stars, the Duke of Xinghu, the heir of the kingdom," King Kessel said coldly: "You are played by foreign ministers in the palm of your hand. Not only do you not know it, you also think you are right."

"It's almost ashamed of Chan Xing's face."

Thales looked up suddenly!

"Yes!"

The prince shouted angrily.

King Kessel was suddenly interrupted by him, somewhat unexpectedly.

"I know."

Thales was breathing fast, staring at the king.

"I know what Falkenhaus wants to do."

"And I have no intention of concealing, nor do I want to quibble."

Thales stood up abruptly, holding the table with both hands.

"Yes, empower me, support me, and help me, in the hope that I can finally become stronger against you, threaten you, and hinder you. This is indeed Falkenhauser's wishful thinking."

"Simple, clear and direct."

The king's expression grew worse.

"But believe me, father."

The prince stared at the king, serious and serious:

"If you really want to make it happen-not just the'Sand King', not just the West Wasteland, but in the entire kingdom, inside and outside the stars, to realize your magnificent and crazy plans and ideas..."

Upon hearing these words, King Kessel's eyes changed.

"If you really have made up your mind, father, if you don't want to spend any money, you will also be'born for the stars.'"

At this moment, the cold wind in Ballard's room was surging back and forth, but Thales felt hot and embarrassed in his chest, like flames.

Thales took a deep breath, categorically, beyond doubt:

"Then this is the only way."

"There is no better choice."

(End of this chapter)