Chapter 695: fencing

   Chapter 695 Fencing
"When I said 'Keep an eye on her', His Royal Highness," Duke Jane's voice sounded in the reception room, with deliberate mockery and suppressed anger, as well as the ominous sign that the storm was about to come, "I definitely didn't mean Kidnap my sister in public..."
   However, opposite the Duke, Prince Thales, who was sitting in a precious armchair, had a blank expression and was absent-minded.
   Kidnapping?
   The morning light filled the room, and Thales looked at a cup of exotic flower tea on the small table, exhausted.
   Yes, kidnapping.
  Just, kidnapped by what?
   Killed? By the enemy? by power? by the environment? Kidnapped by a strange and unspeakable evil?
  The face of the defender appeared in front of him, and he screamed and screamed in agony, and then giggled, innocent and cheerful.
   Thales' eyes were fixed on the indistinguishable reflection in the cup.
   Or is it a fate that everyone can't escape in his entire life?
Jenn's merciless accusation continued: "As a prince, as a duke, you irresponsibly strayed from your planned itinerary, and swept away the guards in your own right, just for the sake of visiting the bottom market. 'Have fun with the people'..."
   out of the plan.
   Ditch the crowd.
   Thales took a deep breath.
   The crazy laughter of the monster in the ominous white smoke sounded in his ears, making him more and more agitated.
Really?
  He, Thales Shinsing.
   What can he really get out of?
What can    really get rid of?
   "Disguised as a clown and a flower girl, went to a place where the three religions and nine classes were mixed to have fun, worked as a street performer, fought in a poor alley, broke into private houses, left countless messes along the way, and came back with scars..." Zhan En was still chattering.
covered in wounds.
Thales lowered his eyes: his neck, arms, and legs were wrapped in thick bandages, most of which were covered under his sleeves, exuding a faint smell of medicine, all the wounds left yesterday: scratches , abrasions, scratches, bruises, the pain is hard to disappear...
  Yeah, he was already scarred.
   long before today.
   But these are nothing at all.
Compared to Mallos, who was in bed with a high fever after being carried back last night, and far more than he expected, many of his subordinates who were injured in spying on the Blood Bottle Gang and hunting Lausanne II: Mira, Zombie, Rolfe , Vlatten, Nechy...
   Even compared to Slimani's final end...
   Compared to the casualties that occurred in this fight…
"...even a whole carload of celebratory fireworks was lit in the north of the city, triggering the largest gathering of people in recent years, and almost crushing the North Gate Bridge..." Zhan's words were as powerful as ever, as if he was sitting in the courtroom in the highest seat.
But at this moment, Thales heard that the noble and authoritative aura that was deliberately created, placed in the false statements repeated over and over again, would have long since dissipated, like a rag that squeezed out moisture, wrinkled and dry. Huh, it looks ugly and smells bad.
   "The Vigilance Hall and the Emerald Legion had to mobilize a large number of people to maintain order, just because His Excellency Duke Xinghu, who was visiting in private, was bored while shopping, and wanted to hear a louder noise..."
Why?
   Thales touched the luxurious armrest of the seat, and when Jen's words were in his ears, it felt like the buzzing of mosquitoes, which was annoying.
Obviously outside the palace gate, on the street separated by a wall, some people are dead, some people are injured, some people are wielding knives, guns and sticks in the poor alleys to cut you to death and blood is everywhere, some people are crazy, some people are worried, some people are tortured by a horrible life. Abominable appearances make other people's lives disgusting, some are poor, some are miserable, some are hiding in the small darkness where the sun does not see the light, and relying on rummaging for the scraps thrown away by the upper class to make a living.
Why?
   Thales only felt that his knuckles were gradually tightening.
"And the most important thing is that what you did did not respect the Iris family, nor the vassals of your father, nor the communication etiquette of the nobles, nor the rules of kingdom rule. If I hadn't taken measures early to suppress bad effects..."
But why, why is the boss who should be responsible for these things, he still sits here comfortably, calmly, and rambles about such as "bad social influence", as if he only needs to turn a deaf ear, never mention it, and cover his mouth Cover your eyes, those things don't exist?
   Like those murders that he covered up one by one as accidents and vendettas to "reduce the impact" and "take care of the overall situation"?
  Because Jen was sitting in that position - a voice sounded inside him - as you figured it out a long time ago.
   Thales looked numbly at Jen sitting on the seat, watching his lips keep opening and closing, his expression solemn and serious.
  You know, when he sits there, it's not Jenn anymore.
   He's not even Calvin Dill, not even the Emerald City Lord and the Duke of Southbank.
   He is just an empty shell.
   A walking corpse.
   One puppet.
   is like a noble crown with jewels but lifeless on the head, like a family crest that is alive but motionless on paper.
   Repeated the same pattern over and over again, obeying the established norms, doing ridiculous actions that he didn't even know about.
   "...More insults to the royal family of Jinxing, and damage to my sister's dignity and reputation..."
   "Your sister, is she okay?" Thales' voice sounded faintly, "I mean, mentally, and healthy?"
  Zhan's face turned cold when he heard the words:
   "If you really cared about that, you shouldn't have-"
   "Slimani is dead."
   Thales' sudden words stopped the plausible Jenn.
"Who?"
   "That defender," the boy raised his head and looked at the slightly surprised Jenn, "he died."
   "You mean, Advocate Slimani, dead?"
   "Don't pretend to be deaf!"
Thales raised his volume and his eyes suddenly turned cold: "Yesterday, Slimani came to the theater to find Officer Caquere, and was chased and killed immediately, saying that he would open a 'long-term leave letter' for him--isn't it your order? of?"
  Zhan frowned slightly, showing appropriate thinking and pause:
   "I don't know about this. But then you rudely kidnapped my sister and disappeared with the defense..."
   Thales raised a hand.
   "Listen, Jen, I'm tired."
  Jane smiled politely and listened.
   The young man took a deep breath, his eyes blazing, like the swordsman who took the lead:
"You don't know and don't want to know what happened to me yesterday, but I've had enough, whoever's trick it is - yours, mine, your sister's, my father's, your father's, the Secret Service's , from the darkroom, from the kingdom, from Exeter, from the living, from the dead, from the water ghouls, or from whatever evil exists—I, all, suffer, enough.

   His last words were word by word, making Jenn's smile gradually disappear.
   "So, Mr. Zhan, when you speak again, please save your words and stop talking nonsense."
   A straight sword.
   But the timing was right.
  Jane was silent for a while.
"Okay, you don't seem to be in a good condition," Duke Iris said in a more cautious tone when he spoke again, like a conservative but steady retreat in fencing, "You and my sister, what exactly happened to you yesterday? How did Slimani get..."
   Thales stood up abruptly.
   "Too much nonsense," Thales left the cup of scented tea, not wanting to waste a second, "The conversation is over."
  Jane frowned: "Tales, please listen to me..."
   "Good luck." Thales ignored him, turned and left.
   Until a long sigh came from behind:
"All right!"
   Straight sword to score.
   Thales stopped and looked at Jenn expressionlessly.
"Yesterday morning, the special security officer in charge of receiving you, Caquere, asked me to report," Emerald City Lord's face was a little ugly, but the sword was just right for defense. "He said that the defense attorney in charge of the murder of the wool merchant had doubts and asked him to It hinted at some disturbing suspicion. So, as an old acquaintance, the Caquere Guard sent someone to invite Mr. Slimani to the guard hall to clarify some... misunderstandings."
   Thales watched Jenn for a while, then returned to his seat and sat down again.
   "Look," said the prince, "it's not that hard to talk nonsense."
  Jane's face flashed for a moment, but he quickly returned to the subject:
   "That's Caquere's own assertion, and I neither have nor need to send someone to kill that defender."
   Thales did not speak immediately, but stared at Jenn for a long time.
   Yes, he really doesn't need it, the voice in the boy's heart whispered to him.
  Because of him, Jenn Kelvindir, who is in the honor of the Duke, can influence the entire Emerald City with just a gesture.
It is enough to create an environment that can overwhelm Slimani - whether he was the cowardly and honest one, or the cold-blooded snobby he later on - forcing him to make unimaginable deals and pay more than his life. cost.
   Let the demons in the back of this world rejoice.
   "The person who killed Slimani was not a generalist," Thales said. "The killer's name is Lausanne II, who was once the ultimate master of the Blood Bottle Gang. Do you have an impression of that?"
  Zhan En thought for a moment, and his brows tightened.
   "Yes. Lausanne II, old Turnbull's executioner, but I remember him years ago—"
"died?"
   Thales turned his sword and sneered:
"But are you sure he is dead, instead of being saved by some big man behind the blood bottle gang, hiding, chaining, sharpening his minions, nourishing his ferocity, and releasing it at critical moments, Some dirty work that the Watch Office and the Emerald Legion are inconvenient to do?"
  Jane's face also turned cold.
   "I don't like the hint in your words, Your Highness."
   "Speaking of which, isn't the Blood Bottle Gang your lackey," Thales said, "When was the last time you disciplined them?"
"In order to maintain order and stability and minimize the harm of organized crime, Your Royal Highness, Emerald City and even the leaders of Nan'an do maintain strict and systematic control over civil society forces from all walks of life and from all walks of life, but that does not mean that the official and street gangs The relationship is as conspiracy theorists think…

   Thales rudely interrupted his official tone:
"By the way, last time, it was you who instructed them to cover up information, forge clues, and tamper with murder cases - such as Dagory Moss, a wine merchant who used to be your white glove for money, such as wool who managed the secret accounts for Kongming Palace. Shang Diop, and maybe the famous great defender Slimani in the future..."
  Jane's face sank.
   "We've had similar conversations, all of these measures are for the bigger picture, for stability, to prevent the mysteries from escalating—"
   But Thales said to himself: "And the former police chief, Jeff Rene was killed at home, but was pulled into their casino by the Blood Bottle Gang to fake an accidental death?"
  Jane paused.
  An unexpected sword move.
   After a few seconds, he took a deep breath:
   "Rene...that's what the defense attorney told you, right? It was reported that Rene used to be his boss, and he had a gift for him. What did he tell you?"
   Thales' face turned cold.
   "Why? Moss, Diop, Slimani, Rene, maybe others...Jane, why kill them?"
   "Since you don't talk nonsense, then I will only say it once," Jenn's voice dropped, "I, no, kill them."
   "Then why them? What did they do that they had to die?"
   "We've also communicated about this," Jen said calmly and clearly. "The secret department sent people to do these murders in order to get your attention and provoke you to deal with me, and we—"
   "You know something funny?"
   Thales interrupted him again:
   "This statement of yours, this so-called 'the secret department of the kingdom wants to provoke us to fight with each other', is what I told you, on the first day I came to Emerald City."
  Jane looked at him quietly.
   "Yes, and I appreciate your candor."
   "But that's all my nonsense: In fact, I don't know what provocation is not provocative at all, and I don't believe it at all, so I just say it to be amazing, so I can stay in the Emerald City."
  The parlor was quiet for a few seconds.
  Jane frowned and looked at Thales in front of him, who was calm and not ashamed.
   A clever sword.
   Finally, the Duke of South Bank raised the corners of his mouth, and his once perfect and polite smile showed a strange look.
   "I think, Thales, this is probably the most candid thing you've said to me since you arrived in the Emerald City."
   "Since I'm so honest," Thales ignored his sarcasm, "don't you hide it?"
   The eyes of the two men faced each other in the air for a few seconds.
"Yes, I knew from the beginning that you were talking nonsense," Jenn's tone was no longer the official tone, replaced by a disturbing callousness, "bluff, fox and tiger prestige, from the state meeting to the royal banquet, you come This is the trick that comes and goes.

   "So you never believed in me, any nonsense about 'the king sent me to provoke us to fight'."
   "You said it too, that's all your nonsense." Jen retorted.
   Thales is no longer entangled, and the conversation changes:
"That being the case, when the wine merchant Moss was killed and we had a showdown in the confession room, you in turn catered to my nonsense and told me that the case of Moss was just a 'misleading', just a means for the Secret Service to provoke us... This is It was fun."
   "Ha, you doubt me because of this?"
   "More than that, you are also uncharacteristically willing to 'entrust' your sister to me, and let me 'keep her close', and you even reiterated the conditions that 'Xinxing' gave me, as if you were going to help me be crowned?"
  Jane's eyes moved.
"But as far as I know, since the country was forced to fail the meeting eight years ago," Thales tightened his tone, "'Nova' has become the biggest political stain in Duke Iris' life. Painful scars."
  Jane was silent for a while.
   Look at the sword of the old wound.
When    spoke again, his voice was soft and slow:
   "It's all thanks to you, Your Highness."
   Thales snorted coldly.
"I know you too well, Jenn, like you handed Jaynard back to me on the way to the North, like you made me talk to me at a royal banquet: when you in turn agree with me nonsense, and even trying to convince me with it, there must be something wrong here.
"Dagory Moss is by no means just a to provoke our opposition, his death is not irrelevant, on the contrary, he is very important, so important that you give me wrong guidance and do not want me to pay attention to him, right Bar."
   Thales unsheathed his blade and attacked one after another:
   "Tell me, why did you kill him?"
  Jane watched Thales for a long time before taking a deep breath.
   "This is the last time: I, no, yes, kill him."
   He also said every word, obviously restraining something, but Thales insisted:
"Then that wool merchant was killed, you repeated the same trick and told me: Diop was killed by the kingdom's secret department, but he himself is not important, just to expose the illegal secret account of Kongming Palace, to lead me to take action, to provoke me Attack your weakness..."
"enough!"
  Jane interrupted him with a cold snort:
   "I don't want to talk to you about these things—"
   But Thales ignored him at all:
   "So I mentioned Lausanne II in black, and I said it's a pity that my people didn't catch the killer in white from the secret department."
   "Black clothes, white clothes, killers," Zhan said for a while, and then he said something, his expression suddenly, "You are deliberately testing me, to see if that Lausanne II was sent by me?"
   Thales observed the other party's expression, nodded and smiled.
   "And you replied that your people didn't catch the killer in white, and also said that it was the kingdom's secret department, and it was normal that they couldn't catch it."
   "Because that killer is not mine," Zhan said decisively, disdainfully, "whether his clothes are black or white, I don't know more than you."
   Thales still stared at the Duke's face, while Jen looked back at him without fear.
  This sword has no tricks, but it blocked Thales' blade.
   "Yes, you passed the temptation. At least from the point of view of the words, your answer is natural and smooth, and you may not know the color of Lausanne II's clothes."
  The Duke of Xinghu changed his words:
   "But the crux of the matter is not how his clothes are, but your attitude."
  Zhan's eyes narrowed.
   Thales' tone is getting colder:
   "Regardless of whether Lausanne II is yours or not, when I deliberately said 'killer in white', I was as cunning as you, as old as you, how could I not see that this was my temptation?"
  Jane no longer looked at Thales, he turned to stare at the table, his pupils slowly contracted.
"If the wool dealer really doesn't matter, if the killer really isn't yours, then in the face of my deliberate and crappy low-level temptation like 'white or black', with your character and attitude, you should directly sneer at 'sharp pen' 'I'm bored', 'too lazy to care about you', and at most add a sentence of 'this is too low-level temptation', 'go home and ask your father' and so on..."
   Thales snorted coldly:
   "Why do you have to stand by, choose every word carefully, and reply in a straight-forward manner? Why do you have to pass the language trap carefully, every word in your words is not much or not, and you are doing your best to show that you don't know more than me?"
  Jane didn't answer, but his eyes were locked on the table.
   "Yes, to this question, your response is too concerned and too clever, so that cleverness is mistaken by cleverness."
   Thales' voice fell, and the reception room was quiet.
   "Your cunning, Thales," finally, Jane said softly, "it's always hidden in your stupidity, making it hard to tell."
  The angle of this sword is tricky and weird, but it scores again.
   "Like Dagory Moss, this wool dealer Diop is by no means irrelevant," Thales ignored the other party's sarcasm, "What did he do, why do you have to kill him to keep his mouth shut?"
  Zhan En suddenly looked up!
   "I, no, yes, kill him." He said slowly.
   "This sentence again?"
   Thales sneered: "I thought the last sentence was the last time."
  Jane's eyes grew colder.
  The eyes of the two dukes met in the air, one was sharp and cold, the other was eerie and shadowy, and they exchanged silently.
   But when the confrontation came to a climax and the atmosphere became more and more tense, one of them suddenly laughed.
   "I believe in you." Thales put away his sword and continued with a faint smile.
   "I don't care if you believe it - what did you say?"
  Zhan's conversation turned sharply, he was caught off guard and looked at Thales in disbelief.
   "I said, Jen, I believe you."
   Thales took a deep breath:
   "I believe that Lausanne II is not yours. I believe that from Moss, Diop to Rene and Slimani, although you are indeed covering up the news, you did not kill them."
What?
  Jane was stunned.
   This is not a rule of fencing.
   "Why?" he asked subconsciously.
   Thales leaned back in his chair, his expression tightening.
   "Because just yesterday, when I was busy chasing Slimani, and my men were busy chasing me, and your men were busy chasing my men..."
"There was a serious infighting in the Blood Bottle Gang, 'Phantom Blade' Kathleen and her supporters fell from power," Thales finally caught the opponent's fatal flaw, "'Red Viper' Nekra and 'Wanderer' Fergie has taken power."
  Jane's expression didn't change at all, but Thales saw that the gaze in the other party's eyes gradually tightened.
   This gave him a sigh of relief.
   "And there's no one else behind them," Thales easily sent his last sword, "it's the former killer of the Blood Bottle Gang - Lausanne II."
  The reception room was dead silent.
   In the next second, Jen raised his head and raised his voice to call the housekeeper:
   "Ashford!"
Thales picked up the scented tea and calmly watched the Duke ignore the prince's presence, hurriedly instructed the trustee, and sent someone to secretly investigate the situation of the Blood Bottle Gang, Ashford glanced at Thales strangely, and took orders. go.
   The butler left, and the two dukes faced each other indifferently.
   "You just asked me when was the last time you disciplined the Blood Bottle Gang," after a few seconds, Jen's breathing calmed down, "That's to test me to see if I know about it?"
   Well, after the outcome has been divided, an accurate review.
  Unfortunately, it's just a replay.
   "It seems that you just found out about this, you're welcome, no thanks," Thales said calmly, "Don't worry, Lausanne was killed by me yesterday, and they had to go through a lot of chaos before they could figure it out."
  Jane took a deep breath.
   "You, killed the executioner who came back from the dead?"
"Do you think my guards are vegetarian? Do you think that when I came back yesterday, why did they all get hurt, and all of them got a lot of money? Do you think I really went on a date with your sister yesterday? You thought Slimani died in vain ?"
   Thales chuckled:
   "You might as well take a look and see if you can still find Catherine the 'Magic Blade', or any local boss who can move around and run errands for you?"
  Jann stared at Thales.
   "Yesterday, the Dianjin District Police Department received a report of a riot at the wharf, but in the end it said it was a false report. It's gone, is this the case?"
"Maybe."
  Telstein said:
   "To be honest, because of what I said before, I suspected that Lausanne was yours, and the civil strife of the Blood Bottle Gang was just that he was executing your will, clearing the door for you, and shuffling the cards."
   "Then why did you suddenly believe me again?"
   Thales let out a breath, remembering what Glover had reported to him about the Blood Bottle Gang:
"The fuse of the blood bottle gang's infighting is the strange casualties and losses they have suffered these days; and the reason used by the Red Viper and the Wanderer to instigate infighting is to attribute this debt to the Black Street Brotherhood, Promise to bring them revenge; as for the bosses who were purged in the infighting, they are the original vested interests of the gang."
  Jane's expression became more and more serious:
   "Every move here is pushing the inherent order into chaos and chaos, cutting off the connection between Kongming Palace and the Blood Bottle Gang, and weakening my control over the bottom layer of Emerald City."
   Thales nodded:
   "This is not in your interests, let alone the interests of Emerald City."
  Jane did not speak.
   "Do you understand now, Duke Iris?"
   Thales leans forward a point:
"That's right, you used the Blood Bottle Gang to cover up the deaths of Moss and others, preventing their first wave of attacks, so they then turned to the Blood Bottle Gang, your ears, eyes and ears on the ground floor and on the streets. Maybe you still Control most of the Emerald City, but after yesterday, at least in the streets, you are blind and deaf, and you are no longer as alert as you used to be."
   Thales coldly concluded:
   "You and the Emerald City, you are under attack like never before - if you continue to stand still, you will only be left alone."
The    parlor fell into a long silence.
   Finally, just when Thales suspected that the cup of scented tea was getting cold, Jenn slowly said:
"what do you want?"
   Thales smiled.
   "I know that you are not the main messenger of the murders of Moss and others, and you did not kill them to silence them, but as I said, even if you are not the murderer behind the scenes, you must know the inside story."
"You know who killed them, or, in other words, you know why they were killed," Thales tried to be sincere, "that's why you pay so much attention to those murders, the dead, and do everything to cover them up and prevent them from appearing. In the world, including my eyes."
  Jane frowned.
   "Tell me, these people, what are they doing?" Thales' tone became hurried, "So that the Secret Service can't let them go?"
  Jane was silent.
   "Please, Jenn," urged the prince, "you once asked me, what price do I need to help me at a critical moment?"
   He approaches Jenn:
   "Now, I can help you, but you must tell me more: more details, more truth, more inside story."
   Thales stretched out his palm:
   "No matter what happened in the past, this is your last chance - your last chance to bid me."
  Please.
  Jane's eyes were fixed on his palm.
   "If I told you, Thales..."
   After a few seconds, the Duke of South Bank slowly raised his head.
   "Then when will you attack me?"
   Hands-on?
   At that moment, Thales suddenly felt bad.
"What's the meaning?"
  , like an unstoppable opponent, suddenly counterattacked unexpectedly.
  Jane chuckled:
   "Have you ever looked in the mirror?"
"what?"
   "People can't see themselves clearly. In the eyes of others and themselves, they are completely different," Zhan En looked at him silently, his eyes like ancient wells and waves, "so people need mirrors."
   Thales frowned: "Jane..."
   "Tales Jinxing, you said you believed in me and believed that I was not a murderer," Jenn interrupted him decisively, "but have you ever thought about whether I believe you are not a murderer?"
   Thales felt tight.
"You claimed that you didn't come to the Emerald City voluntarily, and that you were incompatible with your father, so you wanted to abandon your previous suspicions and work together, and you are also trying to win my trust in the confrontation again and again - but you know, winning What's the best way to gain trust?"
  Jane said softly:
   "It's actually very simple, beyond your imagination."
   In this second, Thales only felt his breathing stagnate.
   is like swinging a blade in the air.
   "When I cover up Morse's death and tell you it's for the sake of the bigger picture," the Duke said slowly, "What you should do is not to ask for guilt, to seek up and down, but to be tacit and turn a blind eye, and I will know your attitude."
"When Diop's murder happened, I told you not to dig too deep, what you should do is not to get to the bottom of the story until you find out your identity as a secret accountant, but to smile lightly and retreat quietly, and I will I'll know where you stand."
   Thales stared at him with a numb expression.
"When what happened yesterday, whether it was Slimani, or King Lausanne II, or the Blood Bottle Gang," Jen continued, his tone became more indifferent, "What you should do is not to attack with all your strength and hold all these chips in your hands. You only came to me to negotiate and take credit for me, but you should come to me at the beginning, and tell me everything, we will decide the direction together, and I will understand your signal."
  Jane raised his head, his eyes were ethereal, just staggered from Thales's eyes.
   "At some point, maybe I will believe that you really want to cooperate with me: at least you have shown sincerity with your actions."
   Thales swallowed his throat.
"But the truth is, every move you made after you arrived in the Emerald City, every reaction you encountered, every confrontation with me, every reasoning 'we want to act for the king'," Jen shook his head, "all are In order to work hard to participate in the game, in order to fully control the chess game, in order to finally seize the chips that kill me."
  The blade penetrates the layers of defense and points directly to the vital point.
   "Remember, you once suggested: Let Emerald City and I take the initiative to take a step back," Jenn said in a delirious way, "Yes, as my father said, as long as there are people who are willing to take the initiative to take a step back, there will always be room."
   Thales took a deep breath with difficulty: "My proposal is sincere..."
   "It was for me," Jen said calmly. "My uncle said that father's words only apply to the strong-because they never have to back off."
  The prince's eyes trembled.
"Tales, maybe you don't think so, but these days, when you faced me in the Emerald City, you were so aggressive and anti-customer, but you never took the initiative to step back even half a step, or in other words, only you thought you were there. Step back - that's why people need mirrors - that's exactly what those people who are confident because they have enough chips, those who think they are the strongest in the game, will do things, and will have self-consciousness, because you can no longer see to the option of actively retreating, and I am more accustomed to watching others retreat.

   Thales stared blankly at the cup of scented tea.
   "The kingdom was a meeting eight years ago. I made such a mistake in Operation Nova," Jen looked at him indifferently, "Now, it's your turn, Your Royal Highness."
   Thales did not speak.
   He suddenly found that his sword strokes were weak.
   has long been seen through layers and cracked.
   "Yes, you may indeed have nothing to do with the kingdom's secret department, but that's not because you're not on the same side as them, but because..."
  Jane's eyes sharpened:
   "Because even on the same side, you consider yourself to be the chess player and think you are in a higher position than them - second only to His Majesty the King."
   Thales' eyes moved:
What?
   "Maybe others will be confused by the contradiction between you and the Renaissance Palace, but I won't, it's impossible, because I know you too well, Thales."
  Jane smiled.
"Look in the mirror, don't you think that after you came to the Emerald City, every word, deed, and every move - whether you cooperate with me, show affection to me, whether you come to participate in politics against your will, or clumsily grab it Regardless of the bargaining chip, are all these actions incompatible with, or even contradictory to, you, yourself, and the internal logic of your Thales Jinxing?"
   out of place.
   Contradiction?
   Thales listened to Jen's words in a trance.
Why?
   "Where is the boy who yelled at the rotten nobles at the national meeting?"
  Jane approached step by step.
   "Where is the prince who stood up for his subjects at the royal banquet?"
   The opponent's blade is as cold as ice.
   "Where's the North Star, the soaring and arrogant North Star in folklore?"
   And he couldn't resist.
   "From the first day, I knew that this is not the you that used to be, the real you," the Duke of South Bank calmly said, "but just the one who was forced to smile by the king's blade against his back."
   At that moment, Thales resisted the urge to touch the bone ring in his pocket.
   Let your swords move in a thousand ways, and your sword styles are a hundred times more ingenious.
   can be anything but a sword.
   must eventually return to the sheath.
   "Goodbye, Thales," Jan said softly, "The king's ship is not easy to get on, and what he wants you to do is even more malicious."
  The King's Ship...
  What he wants you to do...
   "Be careful - be crushed to pieces." The Duke's voice fell.
   The reception room was silent.
   is so ugly, Thales.
   The voice in the boy's heart sounded, complaining to him in a low voice.
   It's a pity that you still think your performance is flawless and flawless.
   As a result, in front of a real expert, it will be broken with a poke.
   And you can't even fight back.
  It's really embarrassing.
  You self-righteous fool.
   makes it difficult to tell whether it is cunning or stupid.
   Are you like this?
   Surrender?
   "You seem to have mentioned to me before, a ghost story called Jacques Soulbone," Thales heard his own voice sound, it was a sneer, "It is said to be spread around the East China Sea... the legend of cannibals?"
  Zhan En was slightly startled.
"I went back and checked it out last night," Thales sighed, "It is said that cannibals will take on the appearance of others. After deceiving and deceiving, they will tear open their faces, reveal their true faces, open their hearts, and eat their hearts. spleen."
  Jane frowned and snorted coldly:
   "Whose heart and spleen?"
   Thales looked at the expression of the Duke of South Bank, trying to find clues.
   "Do you know that your sister is special and charming?"
   Thales slowly shook his head:
   "It's just amazing."
  Jane looked back at the prince lightly.
   "I take back the foreword," the expression on the Duke's face disappeared. "From now on, you are not allowed to meet her, talk to her, pass letters, let alone go out together..."
   "Do you think Hillary will listen to you?"
   "She has to listen, and so do you."
  Zhan emphasized his tone, no doubt: "As long as I still sit in this seat, I will rule the Emerald City for a day."
   Thales snorted softly.
   "You know, the blood bottle gang's seizure of power yesterday was not completely successful," said the prince, "'Magic Blade' escaped the pursuit, and the grass was not eradicated."
  Zhan En was startled when he heard the words:
   "What? Where's Kathleen?"
"you do not need to know."
   Thales shook his head:
   "You just need to know: they will be nervous, because they must be worried that the 'phantom blade' will come to you and make you alert to detect their actions."
  Jane frowned.
   Thales turned his eyes:
   "Actually, they're right, because they'll notice: you've just been impatient to send someone to contact or test the Blood Bottle Gang."
   In that second, Jenn's eyes changed!
   "You did it on purpose," Jenn figured out something, he couldn't believe it, "You concealed information, wait for me to move first, and watch me push myself into a corner."
   Thales smiled.
   This time, his blade was ruthless and ruthless.
   is also bloody.
   "There are so many dreams at night, they won't tolerate changes. So no matter what they have to do, they won't wait any longer," Thales said softly, "They're here."
  Jane stared at him sternly.
   "I dare say, this time it's no longer a petty fight and cutting off the wings," Thales said with gloomy eyes, "but a fatal blow."
   until he couldn't turn over.
  Prince stood up slowly.
   "Without my help, Jenn, do you think you can hold back?"
  Jane did not speak.
   His eyes looked at the door, first dazed, then firm, and finally fierce.
   "Kevin Deere, don't let the enemy die." He said with difficulty.
   No swordsman is willing to retreat.
   So there is no winner in this fencing.
   Only casualties.
   "Then I can only wish you good luck," Thales stretched out his hand and tidied up his collar, as if preparing, but also as a tribute, "May the empire last forever."
  Jann didn't answer.
   At this moment, the door of the reception room was pushed open.
   "Great, Ashford is finally not at the door."
  In her nightgown, the disheveled Hille walked into the Duke's parlour with bleary eyes and even bare feet.
  Zhan frowned slightly, while Thales turned his head in time, not to look at her disheveled appearance.
"Sorry, I slept, I was too tired yesterday," Sheila yawned, touched the dark green on her arm, and rubbed the bandage on her neck, "Oh, you two haven't eaten each other yet. "It seems that I'm still early."
   is weird.
  In the past, every time Shi Lai broke in, the atmosphere between them would change.
   But this time...
   "Go back, Xi Lai," Jenn only maintained the anger in his eyes for a moment, and then said indifferently, "You are not allowed to disturb His Royal Highness again from now on."
   Xilai opened his eyes and raised his eyebrows:
   "Hey, why don't you take care of yourself—"
   "Your brother is right, Ms. Cecilia," Thales replied softly, "Your overstepping will embarrass us."
   Xilai blinked and said suspiciously:
   "Hey, why are you so timid—"
"The celebration is not over yet, we still have elections to attend today," Zhan said in a low voice and not harsh, but his calm words made Xi Lai unconsciously stop, "Get ready, don't be stern. Disrespectful - I order you not as a brother, but as a duke."
  Xile finally felt that the atmosphere was not right, frowned and looked at his brother.
  Jane and Thales were silent.
   After a few seconds, Miss Kevin Deere took a deep breath, strode to Thales, and habitually grabbed the prince's arm:
   "Okay, ignore him. As for you, come with me, we have something to discuss..."
   But the next second, Thales withdrew his arm like an electric shock, avoiding Shi Lai's touch.
   Sheila was stunned.
   She stared blankly at Thales' movements, her gloved hands hanging in the air.
   Thales was short of breath, he turned his head, clenched his fists, and didn't look at Shi Lai.
  【What exactly is it! 】
  【Evil, it is evil. 】
   "Lord Jenn is right, Ms. Cecilia, the Emerald Celebration is not over yet," Thales took a deep breath, "We should all prepare well, don't lose your courtesy."
   Maybe this is a good thing, Thales.
   The voice in his heart sneered:
   Maybe the pose is ugly...
   But from now on, you are ready.
   Under the unbelievable eyes of Xilai and the piercing eyes of Jenn, Thales got up and left the reception room without looking back.
   (end of this chapter)