Chapter 699: revenge

Centuries ago, "Southerner" Hyman Shinsing entered the city alone at the most dangerous moment, fell in love with Miss Regina at first sight in the election, and finally saved the kingdom from civil war, the tradition of the election will be preserved. .
And at this moment five hundred years later—sitting in the stands, looking at the cheering spectators in the stands, watching the heavily guarded guards off the field, and the contestants gearing up on the field, Thales couldn’t help thinking—another The Prince of Bright Star, surrounded by countless guards and servants, came to another election.
   I just don't know the election that year. When "Southerner" Heyman changed his name and changed his surname and mixed into the venue, facing the fierce army, he was gearing up to gather the crowd to choose the general to fight against the heroes of the South Bank of the royal family of Jinxing. How did he react?
  When a big event is imminent, and the soldiers are fierce and dangerous, is he calm and calm, or does he grit his teeth and insist on forbearance?
  Thinking of this, Thales sighed deeply: Anyway, he won't be like him, confused and full of melancholy, but he has to force a smile and pretend to be calm.
   And Heyman wasn't alone.
Five hundred years ago, Prince Hyman had at least the powerful "Eight Fingers" king as his backing, at least the duke's eldest son who had a clear love and hatred, and at least the wise Miss Regina who offered advice. The Duke of Cork is also a well-mannered, steady veteran - at least in the story.
   But what about him, the backing he has, the allies he relies on, the opponents he faces...
"Your security chief has just been killed, Your Royal Highness," Zhan's voice came from the seat on his right, calm but shrewd, "and you are deeply suspected of rumors, if I were you, I would keep a low profile, such as Accept the protection of the Seychelles captain, you to a separate stand, and attend the election with caution..."
   "Protection? Escort?" Thales looked at the workers who were preparing hard in the arena, "You mean, semi-mandatory kidnapping and house arrest?"
   But Jen ignored him: "...Instead of turning around and getting together with my sister, crowded into the Duke's stand conspicuously."
   "Do it? Get together?" Xilai's head popped out from Jenn's right hand, staring at his brother angrily.
  Zhan turned his head and glared at his sister, unprecedentedly stern and solemn.
"The Seychelles knight is eager for status, but he is not the kind of person who will bow his head to the powerful and let you go at a critical moment-especially in front of outsiders, so what are your weaknesses? Power? Wealth? Wife, children, children and children? Or dance for him?"
   Thales was about to bring his own teacup, when he heard the words, he paused.
   "Easier," Xilai snorted, without being sarcastic, "Duizi."
Zhan turned his head with Xilai's gaze and turned to the guards under the stands: the Star Lake Guards and the Emerald Corps were led by Hugo and Seychelles respectively. They were separated into two rows, alert to each other, and the difference was clear. Only one knight was sitting in the middle with his sword in his arms. , staring at the tent prepared for the contestants in the arena, with complicated eyes.
"Is that the knight of Cassien? I understand, if you make a move, Seychelles will not be able to defeat him in front of his subordinates, which will not be good for his prestige, so he simply takes the opportunity and goes down the donkey... But you How did you convince Cassien to come out?"…
  Zhan frowned, waved to the audience diagonally opposite, and welcomed another round of applause:
   "Could it be that you threatened him too, if you didn't go out, you would dance in public?"
   Thales held up the teacup and sighed.
  This guy, why do you care so much about this?
   "Look at the sunset, brother, one sentence: yes or no?"
   Xilai raised her eyebrows. She took Jen's arm and smiled sweetly, but the words that leaked from her teeth made people frown:
   "Don't force the old lady to go down and dance now!"
  Jane's face changed slightly.
   "Shameless..." The Duke tried his best to maintain a normal facial expression, but just as he was about to open his mouth to refute, he was interrupted by the surging cheers from inside and outside the arena.
The    selection will begin.
  The Kevin Dill brothers and sisters restrained their expressions, gave each other a bad look, and sat upright.
   Thales breathed a sigh of relief.
   "It's been a long wait, everyone!"
The host of the    election meeting is a well-known banquet emcee who has studied minstrel at Longkiss College. He is standing on a specially designed host, holding a specially made speaker:
"Remember, seventy years ago, when Ellenbia's 'white devil' Reik swung his axe and even split his horse in half, the earth trembled as firm as the earth! Fifty years ago, when the great desert's 'Xiaonu' Mossac and Suye's 'Red Ghost' fought fiercely until the moon sets in the west and the sun rises in the east. If you are patient, you must not bow your head! Thirty years ago, when Mura, the 'servant' of the Principality of Sera, wanted to kill the injured The knight master died with one enemy and three blood, and even the most hard-hearted audience would cry! Twenty years ago, when the 'Sword of Shuoguang' Prince Horace won ten battles and ten victories, the entire Emerald City was unstoppable. They're all cheering wildly!"
By convention, the venue for the election will be located in a wide open space in the new suburbs - the terrain here is sunken, high outside and low inside, which is especially suitable for large-scale performances and group activities. It is often booked as a theater for stage plays, and even as a mission and mission field for Sunset Faith. Before and after the Emerald Celebration, the place was cleaned up by the Emerald Corps early, and then the police officers pulled up the cordon. The workers and craftsmen rushed to work day and night, erected fences, erected shelves, pulled up tents, set up passages, and laid carpets. Put away the stands, seats and even all kinds of temporary stands of three or four storeys, and sort out a large-scale ring arena.
The inner perimeter of the arena consists of different stands and the preparation tents of the contestants, which are separated by curtains, parasols and fences and even manpower. Different people such as nobles greeted each other warmly across the air. Although the servants in charge of logistics kept talking back and forth between the stands, the sergeants across the aisle and the guards guarding the curtains, including the servants, showed up when they were talking. The family emblem or certificate of the family emblem emphasizes the hierarchical order here, which is clear and clear and should not be confused.
"And all these classic scenes in memory happened in our annual, proud event, at the most exciting moment, the most thrilling day, the most exciting occasion, and of course, hollowing out A good chance to earn a wallet or a handful of blood..."...
   The host's voice carried the unique splendid tone and exaggerated drag of the Emerald City, which was amplified by the ring layout of the arena and echoed in the slightly empty field:
   "With a glorious history of 550 years - the Iris election!"
The guests in the major stands applauded politely, and many people cheered enthusiastically, but the entire arena still looked sparse and empty, and it was the most remote stand, including those who could not enter outside the fence. , The sound shook the whole city, and even some guys who drank too much wanted to light fireworks to add to the fun, but they were stopped in time by the conscientious vigilantes.
Not counting the citizens who were outside to join in the fun (including those who climbed on the roof or big trees), this arena was originally enough to accommodate tens of thousands of spectators, even if it was not comparable to the legendary buildings of ancient empires that could accommodate 100,000 people.
Comora Arena", only placed in a corner of the Emerald City, is quite impressive. However, due to the sudden murder of a security officer this morning, this election will strictly limit the number of people entering the venue for security reasons, and only open less than 30% of the quota. The security of the officials is also extremely tight, and it is strictly forbidden to impersonate and smuggle through the border.
But things are rare and precious, and the more so, the more people flock to them - nothing can prove a person better than overcoming all odds to get a ticket (not available to non-high-ranking officials, dignitaries, wealthy businessmen, and tycoons). status. It is said that as soon as the news of the limited capacity came out, in just a few hours, the price of a station ticket that was at the farthest position in the election meeting and could only be seen at the entrance and exit was smashed to an outrageous ten gold coins.
   ("I've come here..."—a guest from the Far East who laughed and gave money to Kang, then silently bowed his head and felt aggrieved)
But the spectators who didn't have the chance to enter don't have to be disappointed, because the outside of the arena is more lively: the fence is crowded with people, there are street vendors shouting and selling, sneaky ticket sellers, gamblers opening on the outside, and on the spot. Restaurateurs who are busy selling wine and food, street performers for money, preachers sent by the church at the moment, people discussing which fighters sponsored by business groups can advance to the top eight, ocean-going boats What kind of rare beasts were brought back, and what rewards would the duke and prince give? There was a lot of noise and bustling, as if what happened outside the arena at the moment was the real emerald celebration.
Compared with the atmosphere on the outside, the situation inside the fence is slightly strange: the soldiers and guards at the exit and aisle are solemn and repressed, waiting in earnest, vigilant for every guest who arrives, including their servants; the major stands in the front row. In the show, the audience with a good background brought their family, or sat quietly like a mountain, or exchanged greetings with each other, or cheered and shouted without realizing it, and their performances were different; as for the arena, the fully armed warm-up warriors are gearing up. , danced swords and knives to show their skills, some greeted their acquaintances and exchanged harsh words, while others were ready to go with the help of attendants, calm and silent.
"Of course, first of all, I would like to thank our wise and wise city lord, the Duke of South Bank, Lord Jenn Calvin Dill, it is his hard work and strong support over the years that this election will be held, and it will be more lively and brilliant. Better than ever!"…
Under the host's gesture, the audience in the arena turned their heads in unison and looked at the third-tier stand, the highest in the arena: the Emerald City Lord still had the kind and amiable smile, facing the participants off the field and the audience in other stands. They waved.
"And our most honored guest, the heir to the kingdom, the Duke of Xinghu and the second prince, the famous North Star of the Western Land - His Royal Highness Thales! His presence demonstrates His Majesty the King's grand grace to the Emerald City, and it is a great gift for all citizens and even The honor of the entire South Shore..."
   Thales and Xilai sat on the left and right sides of Jenn. The servants and guards were screened back by the three of them early and could only watch from the outside.
   At this moment, the prince forced his face to smile and waved to everyone like the duke, but helplessly found where he was facing, where the cheering stopped abruptly, and instead ducked and whispered.
   "Look, next to the Duke is Miss Xilai!"
   "Hey, the three of them are sitting together, the atmosphere is so strange, it looks like..."
   "Like a family? Bah Bah!"
   "Why did the prince come too? Didn't he just kill the people from Kongming Palace..."
   "The more this is the case, the more he has to attend, so that he won't appear guilty of being a thief..."
   "My uncle said he knew the dead vigilante and said he had been bullied unreasonably by the prince these days..."
   "Shh! Stop talking, there's not much audience, he might be able to see us..."
   "Interesting, they must have made some behind-the-scenes deal."
   "Don't look at him, look at today's handicap, have you decided what to bet?"
   Thales could only sigh helplessly.
"You know, Thales, the earliest selection of generals was used by the Duke of Cork to select generals five hundred years ago and recruit troops to fight against the pressing step by step of the Royal Family of Bright Star," Jenn smiled to the audience on the field. The contestants waved their hands in a malicious voice, "Does it look familiar?"
   "But in the end, a bright star son-in-law was chosen and the crisis was resolved?" Xilai shrugged and disrespected the situation.
  Jane's eyes widened, and Thales swallowed.
  I saw the Emerald City Lord take a deep breath, and first smiled and nodded at the vassals in the opposite stand—the Count of Lasia and his eldest son—and made a voice that only the three of them could hear:
   "Ignorance! Whose reputation do you think will be ruined by your debauchery and indiscretion?"
   "Of course it's yours, and Iris's, and maybe my father's grandfather's great-grandfather's great-grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's' grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's' grandfather's grandfather's the grandfather's grandfather's' grandfather'...
  Jane's expression changed.
   "You think you can kidnap your family's reputation to force me into submission?"
   "Oh, you can't imagine that."
   is not good.
"I swear, Jen, I really don't know about dancing or anything," Thales interrupted them in a low voice to cool down the quarrel between the two brothers and sisters, "but in my experience, in the public eye. Come on, um, maybe she really doesn't care, she can really do it."
   "Your experience?"
  Jane's expression became even worse, his eyes were on Thales, like a vulture looking at prey on the ground.
   Xilai, who was sitting on the other side, raised his eyebrows defiantly.
   Thales, who realized that he had said the wrong thing, had to smile and shut up for the time being. …
   "...And we would also like to thank Kang's Fragrance Chamber of Commerce, who funded and supported the main construction of the arena for this election!"
   The host with a task at hand shouted as much as he could, pushing the election to continue:
"And the Mbuto Merchant Corps, their sponsorship in banquet fireworks and food will make this election even more colorful! Don't forget the Gedez Blacksmith Workshop, many of the contestants' protective gear is provided by them, By the way, they are also one of the weapons suppliers of the Emerald Legion, quality assurance! Thanks to Zeka Printing, we can know the results of the election even when we are not at the venue, because they are responsible for copying and printing the flyers and documents! Sangare Farm is responsible for providing fodder and professional maintenance for the horses in this election, while the Emerald City Leather Guild has carefully overhauled the saddle protectors of all contestants. A good horse is equipped with a good saddle, and the knight will win! The casino has issued trustworthy betting and odds indicators for this election. They are also the only officially licensed casino for wagering. There are special betting points on and off the field, reminding you that small bets are pleasant and rational. Betting without official permission is illegal, and the vigilante will not tolerate it! There is also the Sanches Carpentry Workshop, who will spare no effort to maintain various installations during the election, including the large fence they are best at making Stand! The Medik Theatre Company will write the most famous stage script for the winner of this election, and it will be staged in various theaters in the Goddess District! There will be all the ocean goods you need, and they will give all the top eight winners and the finalists of the team battle a free homecoming ferry ticket and discounted commuter coupons for a full five years! Of course, don't forget the Emerald Legion and the New Suburban Alert Hall, they joined forces, sacrificed themselves and others, and contributed a lot to the orderly selection of the conference, which deserves our respect, and among the contestants are the two warriors they chose to send!"
   Damn.
  Tales listened to the names of these business group workshops, and calculated to understand: To hold this Emerald Festival, dare to love Zhan En without spending much of the financial funds of the Emerald City, and will it be able to earn it back in the end?
Following the introduction of the host, the two contestants who participated in the first round of one-on-one duel appeared on both sides of the arena in full armor. They raised their weapons in the most heroic manner and accepted the cheers and applause of the stands (and the field). side bet).
  Jane stood up and raised his hands to the contestants, who also saluted the three dignitaries as they passed the main stand.
"Okay, dear sister, everyone is watching now, if you want to dance or undress, please feel free to do so," Jenn regained his composure and was not coerced by his sister at all, "If you dance well, maybe I will let you Ashford's tip - keeping it is way more money than you guys doing street art."
   Xilai's eyes froze.
   The next second, she stood up and took a step down!
"Eh!"
   Thales got up quickly and grabbed Xilai!
   "You, are you really going?"
   But he soon realized that he didn't really need to step forward: On the other side, Duke Jen smiled and grabbed his sister's arm, his expression was at ease, only his eyebrows twitched slightly.
  The three of them stood up in the stands and stood in a row, Xilai sandwiched in the middle, their arms were dragged behind by the two of them, and their posture was strange. …
  Jane's eyes were like swords, he swept over Xilai, and stabbed Thales at the hand that was holding Xilai.
   The chill cannot be added.
   is not good.
   Thales had to laugh.
   "You...let go?" Xilai, who was detained in the middle, said with difficulty.
   Thales hurriedly let go, but never thought that Jen was also letting go of Xilai like an electric shock at the same time!
boom!
   With a sympathetic muffled sound, Xilai slammed on the railing in front of him and groaned in pain.
   "You guys, hiss..."
Oops.
   Thales was startled and hurriedly went to help her, only to find that Zhan also stepped forward. After seeing each other's movements, they both paused and subconsciously retracted their outstretched hands.
   "Don't even help me!" Xilai said in pain as she held onto the railing and rubbed her ribs.
   Thales and Jen looked at each other with mixed emotions.
  The surrounding audience saw what happened in the main stand, and there was a lot of commotion.
  Jane and Thales looked at each other, took a deep breath, and quickly stepped forward, one left and one right, to hold the railing together with Xilai. The three disguised themselves as looking out, looking at the contestants.
   "Tell me, what proposal do you have." The Duke said coldly.
   Thales raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised.
"Look, he is not only my brother, but also the Duke of South Bank. We must force him to choose between bad and worse," Xilai rubbed his ribs and gave Thales a feeble smile. "Unlike us, he still needs a face..."
   Thales had a weird expression when he heard this.
   "Then you have to have a face." Zhan said coldly, and immediately let out a smile and waved to the contestants off the field.
   From the outside, the three people in the stands were leaning on the railings, talking and laughing happily.
   At this moment, the voice of the host and the cheers of the audience overwhelmed their conversation:
   "Stop talking nonsense, let's have the first round of the contest! Ning is a friend—"
   The host paused, raised his arms, and the audience on and off the field cooperated and proficiently tsunami sounded:
   "Don't die with the enemy!
  

  As the bell rang, the band began to play passionate music, and the first round of competition began: a machete warrior from Humble, against a son of a knight from the South Shore Territory.
   They were fully armed, mounted on their respective mounts, armed with guns and shields, and both fell off their horses after a violent collision.
   "Yongshou," Glover frowned as he watched the duel in the aisle below the main stand, "Such cumbersome armor, laborious, inefficient, and meaningless—this kind of person also came to participate in the election?"
  The two people in the field climbed up with difficulty, threw away their long weapons, and drew out their machetes and steel swords.
"A long time ago, the heavier the better and the harder the armor, the better - when humans faced ancient orcs," Miranda thought, "Of course, until the power of the end of all kinds appeared. , war, duel, or swordsmanship, everything has changed.

   "Then the magic gun appeared, and everything was going to change again soon." Glover nodded.
"Hey, you know, these contestants are rich in a fight! Or, the sponsors behind them are rich - those two war horses have their own sponsor groups, oh, and their weapons! "d.d watched the duel with great interest, and from time to time looked at the odds in his hand. …
   "I don't like the atmosphere, tacky and boring."
Amidst the cheers, Paul Bozdorf stood in the aisle and clasped his arms, staring closely at the competition in the field: "Especially this host turned the knight competition into a show full of copper smells. ."
   "A knight's duel is originally a show," Morgan had no interest in a duel. He stared at the sergeants of the Emerald Legion. "If you don't want to perform, it's as simple as - go to be a mercenary."
"Yes, it is indeed a performance, but it should be explained in this way," Wyah stood on the steps, his eyes fixed on Prince Thales above, "The knight competition was once prosperous, but the lords of a place gathered their allies to show their strength, repair their armaments and recruit talents. Of course, it is also an ideal occasion for wanderers and hedge knights to become famous and stand out, providing a lot of creative material for bards."
   While speaking, the two warriors in the field fought hard with one sword and one sword, and from time to time they heard the sound of the blade cutting into the stomach.
   "Slow action, broken attack, still knocking down the hardest part of the armor," Glover frowned, "Is this a duel or iron?"
"I've seen it, and there are quite a few people who signed up, but very few passed the initial test," d.d held up a book of handicap odds guides with great interest, "and most of them were adventurers, hired Soldiers, foreign warriors, to be honest, few have been properly trained as knights, or at least squires..."
"In history, the Iris election will be a glorious knight competition. All the knights participating in the competition are the top masters of that era, fighting for their own masters and their own honor, and even for the battle itself, so many legendary names, so many A classic duel..." Paul sighed, "but I think, the knights of the past are not fashionable anymore."
   "In the past?" d.d frowned.
"Those who were first known as knights," Paul nodded, his eyes ethereal, "while possessing extraordinary power, they also had to shoulder more obligations. They had to mount war horses and stand up when danger came. Later, When the empire was established, knights became an identity, a class, representing the warriors who conquered the world for the great emperor. If a person wants to become a knight, he must follow another knight to fight and train until he establishes merits and is recognized. Later, A knight becomes a title, an honor, conferred by the king, and becomes a step from commoner to nobleman, and then later..."
  Paul shook his head, looked at the lame duel in the arena, and stopped talking.
   Everyone listened to Paul's words and couldn't help but bow their heads and ponder.
  Conmutto sighed softly:
"About this, I heard the old man say that the iris election a hundred or two hundred years ago will still have weight, and it will be full of one-in-a-hundred warriors, the kind who fight in blood, but in recent decades, not only come The quality of the candidates who participated has declined, from extreme realms to super-level masters, and then to... In short, the so-called winning knights selected are mixed, some are not worthy of the name, some have bad conduct and many evils, some have fallen and made mistakes after becoming famous, and gradually The election will be lost."
   Everyone couldn't help but sigh.
   "I was eliminated."…
  Everyone turned their heads.
"Since the end of the 'Blood Debt Dispute' and the promulgation of the "Self-Defense Law", the wars and conflicts between the lords of the kingdom began to decrease. When the High Noble Council and the Noble Affairs Council were established to arbitrate disputes between vassals, private wars between nobles almost disappeared. , Wandering knights and hedge knights have gradually disappeared, and the expensive and laborious knight competitions will naturally disappear. As for the knights, since there is no place for them..."
  Wiya finished these words and suddenly found that everyone was looking at him.
   "The Royal Guard's Entry Test Reference List," Wyah reacted and explained quickly, "Master Bona's "On the Lord's Self-Defense Right", why, you haven't read it?"
   Everyone in the Star Lake Guard looked at each other, only Rolf snorted disdainfully.
   "That's right, so it should be," Paul sighed. "The fact that the Emerald Celebration still retains its formal tradition is surprising enough to me."
The first round of competition was over quickly: Humble's warrior was not familiar with the terrain and was not used to the earthy ground of the Emerald City. He stumbled and fell to the ground, and the opponent took the opportunity to press on it, attacking with a sword or knocking on his helmet, Although it was basically ineffective, it made the Humble people unable to get up again. The latter was dizzy and had to throw away their weapons and shouted surrender.
  The loser was pulled from the mud by the servants, while the winner labored to take off their helmets amid cheers, and waved their hands to the audience, ushering in flowers and even coins.
   Seeing everyone shaking their heads again.
"I heard from friends that the last brilliance was about twenty years ago, when the late king brought his family and his family to the Emerald City. It was the most grand election in the past half century," Conmutuo broke the silence. "No matter what. The knights and warriors in the arena, the troupe and the band in the audience, or even the young ladies in the auditorium, all of them are fighting over their heads, wanting to express themselves and show their skills in front of the king and the duke."
   "The late king?" Miranda raised her eyebrows: "Wait, I also heard from my uncle and uncle when I was a child that they went to the Emerald City to participate in the competition a long time ago."
"But it is said that in that election, the winner of the competition impersonated, bringing shame to the Emerald City, and the election will be humiliated," Conmutuo shook his head, "It was not a big deal, but for some reason, there After that, no matter whether it is to participate in the competition or watch the ceremony, there will be no significant big families or knights to participate in the election, and the lords will no longer be able to name knights or recruit vassals on the spot at the meeting.
   "So the election will take advantage of the loopholes and come up with this method: let the businessmen pay to participate and make a profit?"
  Wiya frowned: A person holding a sign of "Gedez Blacksmith's Workshop" walked into the arena, and loudly announced to the people that the winner was wearing the armor produced by his family, which was of good quality, and the iron and steel must also be good.
  Paul shook his head dismissively.
"I think it's pretty good. Hmph, knights fight, it sounds nice, but it's all about honors, achievements, rankings, and who you fight for and who you dedicate your victory to. It's so complicated, it's not tiring. ?"
  d.d bought a bag of melons and fruits from the sidelines and happily put them together:
   "Just like now, everyone gathers together, eats delicious food, drinks good wine, cheers, cheers, and cheers for a whole day, making money, making money, and having fun, isn't it?"…
  Everyone cast a contemptuous look at him.
   "They can be happy, we're not."
  Hugo flag officer turned his head and said quietly:
   "Don't forget your Highness's reminder: Be vigilant, we don't want to welcome another Anker Bailar."
   These words made everyone stunned, regained their energy, and began to pay attention to their surroundings, and even D.D hid the fruits and vegetables behind them.
   At this moment, surrounded by the crowd, the three people in the main stand who took their seats again were having an inappropriate conversation.
"Well, first of all, let's make sure that our goals should be the same," Xilai became the host of the conversation, echoing the cheers and battles in the arena, "Now, the king wants Emerald City, and we..."
   "How did you know?" Jen squinted his eyes and looked at Thales, "You told her and got her involved?"
The Duke    said, and he did not forget to show the most kind smile to the stand diagonally opposite, and the Hashat envoy of Tyron State raised his hand in return.
   Thales snorted, slightly disdainful:
   "I found out, you really don't know your sister, right?"
   "I understand you," the Duke said coldly, "always self-righteous, but always self-righteous."
"I told you, Jenn, they're going to do it," Thales kept smiling, his voice only heard by the Kevin Dill brothers and sisters, "and you, you haven't figured it out yet, the most dangerous one in the Emerald City Where is the enemy, right?"
"That's a mistake made by the old people in the north. They mistakenly took the danger as a harmless hostage," Zhan gracefully waved to a group of businessmen in the distant stands, welcoming a burst of cheers and praise, "and I, I It is very clear where the enemy is."
   He glanced at Thales and hid the knife with a smile.
   Another stand noticed that the duke was looking at them. The local vassals on the stage all stood up and saluted the three nobles. Only the little Count Pintor looked ugly.
   "Dangerous Bane" himself sighed helplessly: "Okay, Jenn, but you must know that in the Emerald City now, only I can help you..."
   But Jenn retorted:
   "Help me escalate the situation and make it worse? Like you did in the Blood Bottle Gang?"
"stop!"
   Xilai couldn't listen anymore, she interrupted the two of them with a serious wave:
"Okay, the first round is over, it's referee time: listen, we don't know what the Secret Service is going to do, but we don't want to make a big mess... So, from now on, we have to put all the information on the table Open sharing on the desktop, do you agree?"
   Thales snorted lightly, while Jen looked at his sister for a long time before nodding reluctantly.
   "What do you know about Kaquere's death?" Under Xilai's gesture, Thales asked first.
   "Not more than you," Jen shook his head, "what do you know?"
   "It's definitely less than you," Thales shrugged, "What happened to the Blood Bottle Gang, it's still running?"
   "How do I know," Jenn's eyes moved slightly, "Where is Kathleen?"
   "A place I can't find either," Thales curled his lips, "What's with the rumor?"
   "I don't know..."
   "Hey! Boys!"…
  Xilei interrupted them again unbearably, and waved his hands:
   "Just asking questions and not answering, that's not the way to talk, okay?"
  Jane and Thales looked at each other and raised their eyebrows.
There were cheers and sighs in the field, and the second pair of duelists was divided: a serrated knife user won the game with the advantage of his cunning weapon. Weapon shop craftsmanship.
  On the main stand, Xilai exhaled and made up his mind.
   "Okay, the second round, get up, it's you, Jenn, get up, let me sit in the middle!"
  Under Xilai's unquestioning gaze, Zhan reluctantly got up and let the eldest lady sit in the middle, which naturally caused a lot of discussion among the other audience members.
   "Very good," Xilai sat safely, his arms crossed, his eyes pierced at the left and right, "Now, let me ask, you answer."
   Thales and Jen both frowned.
   Xilai turned to Jenn:
   "First of all, Kaquere, what do you know?"
   "He's dead." Jenn said coldly.
   Seeing that Zhan's words were like gold, Xilai had to resist the twitching of his eyebrows and turned to Thales: "What about you, what do you know?"
   Thales spread his hands: "Died very badly."
   Xilai took a deep breath and went back to ask Jenn:
   "You went to see the Blood Bottle Gang, what happened to it?"
   "Not good, chaos."
   Xilai frowned and turned to Thales:
   "Where's Kathleen?"
   "A bad and chaotic place."
boom!
   Xilai slapped the seat with a slap, causing both of them to be shocked.
  I saw the eldest lady raised her head and showed a chilling smile:
   "Okay, ma'am, I've had enough."
   Her smile was rather scary, and Thales and Jenn both sat upright subconsciously.
  I saw Xilai taking a deep breath.
   "Well, the third round: when I take off later, you all cooperate, okay?"
   Thales and Jenn were both stunned.
   "Ah, take it off again? No, isn't it?" Thales looked at her dress strangely.
   "If you thought you could threaten me twice with this..." Jenn's eyes lit up.
   But the next moment, Xilai stretched out his left hand, clasped the glove on his right hand, and pulled it out!
   The two of them were startled together, but Zhan En was the quickest to react and clasped Xilai's right hand!
"what are you doing?"
  Jane was shocked and angry, and at the same time looked at Thales fearfully, and then looked around at the stands.
   Fortunately, the host is still introducing the third pair of warriors in the arena, a local black-armored walking knight versus a thorny red-armored knight.
   And Thales frowned tightly: Xilai's right glove had been pulled out, revealing a section of ugly skin covered with burns on his wrist.
   "What? Of course, to show them the real me!"
   Xilai was ecstatic and didn't care, and even waved to the surroundings to attract attention:
   "Let's show everyone what my hands that I have hidden for so many years look like!"
boom!
   A muffled sound, the outcome of this contest was extremely fast, the walking knight was lucky, and the long sword swung his head, just broke the gap in the shoulder armor of the red knight. …
With    cheers, the Red Armored Knight was carried off the field and quarreled with the armor's maintainer.
   "Oh, oh! Xilai, what you said, turned out to be taking off your gloves." Thales suddenly realized.
  Jane glared at him hostilely.
   "Or else? What do you think it is?" Xilai looked back at him strangely.
   Thales reacted and rubbed his hands awkwardly:
"No no no, Xilai, I mean, it's good, you choose to let go of your hands, show your true self, be honest with everyone, it's good, I support, absolutely support, support with hands up, but it's not a different occasion Step by step..."
  Zhan's eyes darkened: "Does he know?"
"Of course he knows!" Xilai said impatiently, and pulled his hand, but he couldn't get rid of his brother's restraint, "Don't pretend, you even know about us performing on the street yesterday, how could you not know that he knows? "
   Thales sighed with a headache.
   "Stop fooling around, Xilai!"
  Jane clasped Xilai's hand tightly, preventing her from taking off her gloves, and at the same time stared at Thales vigilantly, and the latter could only let out an innocent smile.
   Xilai saw that he couldn't break free, but he was not ashamed and angry, but raised his eyebrows:
   "It doesn't matter, I still have a hand anyway..."
   After saying that, she raised her left hand and bit the cuff of her middle finger.
  Jane's color changed again.
Snapped!
   The next second, Thales held Xilai's hand firmly, preventing her from biting off the glove.
  Jane was relieved.
At this moment, Miss Kevin Deere, who was sitting in the middle, was restrained by her brother and the prince, holding both hands tightly, which attracted the attention of many people. what.
"Hey!"
   Xilai looked at Thales in amazement:
   "Didn't you just say, raise your hands to support me?"
   "Yes," Thales put two hands on Xilai's left hand, showing a bad smile, "Isn't this the hands?"
   Xilai's eyes widened.
   "Enough!" Zhan clenched his teeth and held Xilai's six fingers tightly, preventing it from showing in front of others, "Whether it's dancing or this, you don't need to threaten me with self-destruction."
   Xilai chuckled:
   "Believe it or not, Jenn, I'm not self-destructing, at least not in my way - I'm just forcing you to choose between bad and worse."
  Jaen frowned tightly and looked at Thales, his eyes filled with help for the first time.
   "Xilei, listen to me, I know you're working hard..."
   Thales took a deep breath and said to Xilai seriously: "However, healing a scar doesn't mean tearing it open with blood."
   Xilai shuddered when he heard the words.
   But just a few seconds later, the trembling in her eyes turned into desperate strength, and the eldest lady smiled slightly:
   "That's right, I'm just going to tear it apart."
   She turned to Jenn:
"Not only that, I also want to tell you that when the Emerald City made every effort to put an end to witchcraft and superstition, the duke's family gave birth to a six-fingered deformed daughter, who was frail and sick since childhood and was raised in a deep boudoir. , sent to the temple for exorcism, but the Iris family kept her from the outside world and disguised her as a healthy person for more than ten years..."...
  Jane's eyes changed.
"It's a pity that she still revealed her secrets. With the reasonable suspicion and repeated insistence of Prince Thales, she will be sent to the Temple of the Sunset or even the Secret Division to check and see if there are any terrifying evils, taboo secret methods. , harmful witchcraft or something..."
   Xilai kept talking, now it's Thales' turn to have a headache.
   "Jane, you know me, I, uh, I..."
"That's not it. Yesterday, he knew everything, saw everything, and understood everything clearly," Xilai turned his gun and sighed, "Now, he is holding your sister and I and the Iris family's handle."
  Jane's eyelids jumped, and his gaze towards Thales started to look wrong.
What?
   Thales looked at Xilai in disbelief.
   "So I think, if he doesn't cooperate today, maybe you have to plan for the worst, Jenn, because he may be the last straw that overwhelms the Emerald City..."
worst plans.
   Thales groaned in his heart, and began to think whether relying on the Star Lake Guard was enough for him to escape the heavily guarded arena.
   At this moment, the audience was once again sensational: This time, the contestant was a tall and strong man, who roared and beat his opponent to the bone, but it was not enough until he was pulled away by the sergeants.
   "Okay." In the stands, Jen exhaled, his eyes full of exhaustion.
   He let go of Xilai's hand and, in a rare, perfunctory and listless manner, applauded the winner.
   "Caquere's death was done by the same group of people, just like the previous fate." The Duke said gloomily.
   Xilai's eyes lit up, she turned to Thales.
The prince    also sighed helplessly.
   "My people found out," he shrugged, "Cacquere may have something in common with the previous deceased, maybe a member of a certain group."
"Your people are right," Jane said solemnly, "Moss, Diop, Rene, Slimani, Kaquere...According to my guess, they were all arrested for being involved in the same incident. killed."
   "Look, you can still talk well, right?" Xilai frowned: "What's the matter?"
  Jane glanced at Xilai, but didn't speak.
   "Jane?" Thales asked.
   "What did the king send you to do?" Jenn didn't answer, but asked rhetorically.
   Thales paused, but Xilai looked at him sternly.
All right.
   "That's right, the task the king gave me, or in other words, the thing that threatened me to do," Thales sighed, "is to dismiss the duke, by the way, destroy Jenn, and give him money from the Emerald City."
Jenn's expression became tighter and tighter: "Really? There is no room left? Without Kevin Dill, who does he rely on to help him enforce the law and collect taxes, help him balance the situation, help him conquer the South Bank, rely on Wangduli Those officials who haven't been to the Emerald City a few times in their lives and can't even figure out their accounts?"
   Xilai narrowed his eyes.
"But! But I have the power to make an impromptu decision," Thales said before the other party became unfriendly, "I can independently decide when to take action, how to intervene, and how far I can make things happen. ."
   "A decision on the spot?" The Duke snorted softly, "You mean, instead of letting me go out on my own, you can at least deprive me of the Duke position with a smile on your face?"…
   Thales ignored his sarcasm:
"So, Jen, I may not be your friend, no, I should be one of your enemies, but in the current situation, among so many sinister enemies, I am also your only hope, allowing you to The least price, the hope of passing this level smoothly."
  Jane stared at Thales closely, without saying a word, his eyes were deep.
   Thales sighed.
   "Jane," Xilai urged, "trust me, if you've seen what I saw yesterday, you'll know that the situation is urgent and we have to make a choice."
  Jane raised his eyes suddenly:
   "You, when did you start hanging out with him?"
   Xilai spoke for a while.
   "You're wrong," Thales took over in a timely manner, "What you should ask is, when did I start working with her?"
  Jane didn't speak, just glanced at the two of them with a change in his eyes.
   Both Thales and Xilai said nothing, waiting for the Duke's decision.
  The Emerald City Lord turned his head and waved to the back sun stand at the other end. A figure sitting under a parasolLe Corleone from the Kingdom of Night appeared near evening and nodded to them.
   On the other side, Yannick Houllier from Feast Collar also bowed to them with a smile on his face.
   "Sister, when will you give me some peace of mind?" the Duke said softly.
   Xilai put his hand on his chest and smiled slightly:
   "to each other."
   After a few seconds, Jen took a deep breath and looked at Thales:
   "Judgement?"
   Thales got the answer, he smiled slightly:
   "Discretionary."
  Jane sneered in response.
   The two looked at each other, but they reached a consensus in an instant.
   Only Xilai narrowed his eyes suspiciously: "Then..."
   Thales took a deep breath:
   "The Blood Bottle Gang fell into chaos after seizing power, and Kathleen fled to the Brotherhood's territory, waiting for an opportunity to fight back."
  Jane took over the words very quickly:
   "After Caquere died, all the rumors they released were directed at you, or rather, forced you to investigate the matter."
   "That Lausanne lost his power in the blood bottle gang and the Brotherhood's war, but there's another secret behind it - he was betrayed by an old party like Kathleen."
"There is another dead person," Thales shook his head, "My people also found out that before Slimani, another underground black boxer also died. His identity was incompatible with the other dead people, but he was also killed by the You covered it up."
   "That fighter's name is Borwyn, who is younger than everyone else in the last round," Jenn's eyes darkened, "He is the key to everything."
   "Borwyn? Is that Borwyn?" Xilai looked up in surprise.
   Thales wondered: "Who? What's wrong with this person?"
  Jane nodded thoughtfully:
   "It's not the boxer Borwyn that matters, but his surname, his father, the killer, old Borwyn."
   Thales' eyes moved, and Xilai's eyes widened.
   Finally, several highly skilled contestants appeared in the arena. They fought with real swords and even got bloodied, which made the audience hooked.
"Old Borwyn was a former hired killer with superb skills and expensive fees," said Jane in the stands, "and his last business deal was bought by a powerful employer and sneaked into the Kongming Palace. , assassinated Leinster Calvindale, the then guardian duke of the South Bank.
…
   Thales widened his eyes.
  Jane turned to Thales, his eyes ashen:
   "My father."
   There was a colorful sound in the arena, and the host Kang He excitedly recounted how earth-shattering the battle just now was, which was rare in the world, but the three people in the stands ignored it.
   "I don't understand," Thales clenched his fists in disbelief, "Old Borwyn was a killer who killed your father, so why should he treat his son..."
  Jann interrupted him:
   "After the incident, Old Borwyn was arrested and captured. Before his death, he confessed to the man who bought him, the murderer behind the murder of the Duke of Leinster..."
   Thales remembered something and was shocked.
   "Father's younger brother, our uncle," Xilai took the topic in a daze, "Former Viscount Gonghaicheng - Sona Calvindil."
   Time stopped for a moment.
   Thales said nothing.
   "In this way, Viscount Sona's conspiracy was revealed and he committed suicide in prison," Jenn said in a hoarse voice, "and I was urgently recalled from overseas to inherit the title of Duke of Emerald City and South Bank."
   The drums in the arena sounded, and the next team battle started again.
  Jane took a deep breath.
   "Nowadays, starting from the wine merchants, everyone they killed was more or less related to the rebellion that year. Every killing was done with great fanfare, trying to make it known to everyone, and to cause a bloodbath."
  Jane stood up and walked towards the railing of the main stand, overlooking the wide arena, his voice was gloomy.
   "And with all my efforts, I can only cover up part of it, but I can't help but miss some clues, so you can trace it here."
   He stared at the dark clouds in the distant sky, and looked at the Kongming Palace standing like a giant under the dark clouds.
   "That's right, I suspect that the people who were used by the kingdom's secret department to deal with me this time were the old forces of my uncle's old division, those frustrated people who failed to rebel and escaped."
   Xilai covered her mouth in surprise.
   "This is a revenge, a desperate and frantic revenge carried out by the kingship."
   Thales frowned tightly.
   "To Emerald City, to Kongming Palace, to Iris, to today's Kevin Dill," Jenn paused, "to me, even to Xilai..."
   The Duke of South Bank's eyes shone like a sharp blade:
   "Vengeance."