When Tales was asked to come out by Gilbert and Jinnie with serious expressions, Mindis Hall had no idea what was going on.
"What's wrong?" Tales stepped out of the Mindis Hall's fir door for the first time in more than twenty days. He looked at the familiar dark carriage with a confused look on his face.
"Gilbert will explain it to you." Jinnie's serious look made him nervous. She flicked the riding crop in her hand, jumped into the driver's seat lightly, and answered briefly, "All you have to do is get in the car immediately."
Tales turned his head in confusion. The middle-aged nobleman took out a boarding stool from somewhere and placed it gently on the ground.
"Please, little sir."
"Lady Jinnie doesn't like sitting in the car. I'm sorry, you have to endure Old Man like me riding with you." Gilbert's attempt to release humor failed completely. Even the two horses could sense that he was worried and deliberately avoided him.
What's going on?
With uneasiness and apprehension, Tales stepped on the boarding stool and carriage steps, looked back at the Mindis Hall's guards, and saw that they had no intention of leaving with him. As if feeling Tales's gaze, the swordsmen headed by Jola bowed their heads in tribute.
"They won't come with us - a carriage, it's more low-key." Gilbert said calmly.
Tales looked at the extremely solemn expressions on the two people's faces, resisted the desire to get to the bottom of things, and just asked, "When we set off this time... will we come back?"
"It depends on His Majesty's will," Gilbert's tone was a little heavy, "I'm sorry for being rude, but we must set off as soon as possible."
Is the matter so serious?
Tales stopped talking and simply got into the carriage, followed closely by Gilbert and gently closed the carriage door.
In the dim carriage, there are still the deep red sofas from twenty days ago, glass dotted with crystals, a carriage decorated with Nine-Pointed Star heraldry, and slightly glowing luminous paint.
Jinnie's riding whip is brisk and rhythmic, but the speed of the car is much faster than the last time Gilbert drove. Of course, it is also much bumpier.
As the carriage bumped up and down, Gilbert watched Mindis Hall gradually disappear out of the window under the moonlight, and looked at Tales solemnly.
"Time is of the essence, so I will choose the key points."
Except for the conversation in the secret room, Tales had never seen Gilbert so serious, which made him feel uneasy.
"The Ekster Kingdom envoy is scheduled to visit Star Kingdom around the New Year." The middle-aged noble looked at Tales seriously.
Tales squinted his eyes and tried hard to recall the history and places of the mainland in the past twenty days.
Ekster Kingdom.
The human hero of the Ending War, the country founded by Nekaroo·Ex in Northern Land.
The dragon of the north, the country of heroes, the blade of the Western Continent, the powerful northern neighbor of the Star Kingdom.
Gilbert continued solemnly, "An urgent report came from Northern Territory: Three days ago, Exeter delegation was on the way south to Central Territory... all of them were robbed and killed, and no one was spared."
Tales opened his eyes in disbelief.
"The victims include six Exeter nobles, and...Moral·Prince Walton." Gilbert sighed:
"He is the only son of King of Ekster and Dragoncloud City Grand Duke, Noon VII, the heir of the Walton Family, and the next Dragoncloud City Grand Duke."
The boy gasped.
The most powerful country in the Western Continent, the only son of the king, and the heir to the territory.
Robbed and killed in the Star Kingdom territory?
"Including the accompanying Star Kingdom nobles, there were no survivors at the scene and no clues. There was only a line of blood written on the ground made of the blood of the victims..."
Gilbert looked directly into Tales's eyes, nodded slightly with a worried look on his face and said, "If Star Kingdom is here, the empire will last forever."
Radiant Star Royal Family's family motto?
Tales was startled.
"This kind of clumsiness and naivety is obviously a way to frame the blame and provoke conflicts between the two countries..." Tales thought carefully about the nature of this matter, but he suddenly realized something, raised his head in disbelief and asked, "Is it really useful?"
"Unfortunately - it works, and it sucks." Gilbert whispered.
Very bad? Tales felt a shiver in his heart.
The carriage drove out of Dusk Star District, entered King's Avenue, and headed towards the central area.
King's Avenue is one of the largest streets in Everstar City, with a flow of people second only to the north of the central district. As a transportation hub, Merchant stores from various countries gather in Star Gathering Plaza, as well as a large market on the West Gate side where lower-class residents gather.
Unlike Lower City District and West Ring District, which use torches and animal oil lamps to illuminate the road, the lights on King's Avenue are all Eternal Lamp with specifications second only to DC District, there were gradually more pedestrians on the road, ranging from bards performing arts, shopkeepers shouting softly (some shops doing night business, such as clothing stores and watch shops were still open), to the servants of nobles coming and going, officials coming and going to entertain, and even real nobles passing by in carriages or on foot.
Here, their carriage is unremarkable.
Located at the junction of Dusk Star District and the Central District, King's Avenue has a very high proportion of people who are either rich or noble. Compared with Star Gathering Plaza and the big market that Tales has seen, this It seems more conservative and quiet here, lacking the noisy bustle of the former and the rude and tacky local philistine of the latter. But even here, ragged beggars and homeless people can still be seen on both sides of the road from time to time, groaning and extending their hands to passers-by.
Fortunately, the carriage was equipped with one-way glass, so there was no chance of anyone noticing what was going on in the carriage.
But Tales's mind was on Gilbert's words at the moment, and he glanced at these street scenes in a hurry.
Former Foreign Minister's words continued to ring in my ears:
"The key lies in <Fortress Concord>."
"At the end of Year of Blood, Exeter invaded, Dragonbreak Fortress fell, from Northern Territory, Yadi, When Western Wasteland arrived in the East China Sea, most of the Star Kingdom was caught in the flames of war. The soldiers and generals were weak, and the kingdom was almost in dire straits. His Majesty, who had just succeeded to the throne, even considered recruiting children under the age of fourteen to join the army."
Gilbert breathed a long sigh of relief, his eyes were lost in thought, as if he was remembering the war years.
"Out of the Western Continent countries' fear of the northern dragon, and Eastern Land Suye and Hanbul paid close attention to the Western Continent affairs. We tried our best to mediate in diplomacy to win the intervention of other countries, and finally forced Exeter's troops had to retreat back the way they came to sign a peace treaty, and Exeter was even forced to vomit out a piece of wasteland occupied by the Star Kingdom before Year of Blood."
"I was the signatory of <Fortress Concord> back then, and I know this very well."
Tales's eyes lit up. "We lost the war, but won the negotiation?"
Gilbert nodded, but there was no relief on his face. "This is terrible - it is not so much a peace treaty as a record of humiliation."
The carriage drove forward for a while, and there were many beggars on the road. Some even extended their hands to Jinnie, who was the driver, but the cold-faced palace Female Official ignored them, and his whip became more and more brisk.
"At a time when we are victorious and land wealth is within reach, we are forced by all the countries to suspend troops or even cede territory. This kind of defeat is more shameful than losing the war. Many lords of Exeter, especially the grand dukes in the south bordering the stars, are very angry. , so much so that the <Peace Treaty> even shook the rule of King Nun for a time. In the past ten years, the relationship between dragons and stars has been at a freezing point. In addition, a large number of lithium mineral deposits have been newly discovered in the north, and there are deep-sea whales rich in oil resources in the East China Sea..."
Gilbert sighed.
Exeter, a country and nation still in the process of being formed - Tales said in his heart: war is needed to sharpen the entire national community.
"The lords of Exeter, at least the three Grand Duke who border us, are all eagerly looking forward to the war - they are eager for the large amounts of land, resources and wealth that were easily obtained twelve years ago but ultimately missed."
Gilbert shook his head and looked out the window, with sadness in his eyes:
"That's why Exeter delegation came to visit. They are determined to rebuild <Fortress Concord> and want to redraw the border between the two countries."
"And now, the envoy was robbed and killed midway before reaching Everstar City - can you imagine what it will be like when the news comes back to Exeter?"
The carriage bumped over an uneven road surface, and the whole carriage shook.
Tales frowned. "Do you think it was the lords in Exeter who planned this robbery and murder? Just to provoke a war and compete for territory and resources?"
Gilbert raised his head, his eyes were very scary at this moment.
"It's worse than this." Former Foreign Minister said coldly, "Exeter adopts Elective Monarchy, voted by the great lords, Co-ruling King - in recent decades, Walton Family has sat on the throne for three generations - and Noon VII is by no means a beauty that everyone loves."
Tales suddenly said, "So, this is the common demand of some Exeter lords to seek resources externally and strive to change the king internally?"
"We're close, young sir, take one step forward, take one step forward." Gilbert carefully guided the only Brilliant Star bloodline in the kingdom and said calmly:
"During the period from the assassination of the envoy to the consequences, the pressure of this matter will be entirely on the shoulders of His Majesty Kessel. How to make a decision, how to respond, whether it is war or peace, whatever the method, toughness or weakness, glory and humiliation, all responsibilities will be borne by His Majesty - from now on, all Star Kingdom nobles will keep their eyes firmly on the Revival Palace."
"What do you mean?" Tales asked doubtfully - no matter how genius he is, he is not in the context of aristocratic rules and cannot understand the meaning of this matter.
At that moment, Gilbert's eyes suddenly became complicated and profound, making Tales unpredictable.
"First of all, although the handling of this matter is complicated, no matter whether it is war or peace, His Majesty cannot escape the accusation of being cold-blooded, indifferent to the people, or weak and easy to bully, and humiliating Star Kingdom. This will greatly damage the reputation and authority of His Majesty and Radiant Star Royal Family in the country."
Tales's pupils narrowed suddenly - he began to understand the meaning of "worse than this".
"Secondly, to deal with this major event, whether it is military mobilization or national decision-making, it requires power far beyond the territory directly under the royal family. It requires the coordination of the entire Star Kingdom and the cooperation of the lords. This means that His Majesty must obtain the full support of the lords, especially Six Great Houses and Thirteen Noble Families, and this is by no means free of cost!"
The price - Tales was shocked - for example, Supreme King of the Starry Sky's next candidate?
"Again, war has its pros and cons. It not only brings crisis, but also brings about the reshuffle of power in Starfall - after the baptism of war, the weak are eliminated, the old lose their place, the strong survive, and the living are stronger - some lords usher in the end, while others are reborn."
Under Gilbert's burning eyes, Tales sat blankly in the carriage, feeling the bumps and vibrations.
"Finally, the royal family has no heirs. Star Kingdom has not had an heir for twelve years." Gilbert's voice suddenly rose. "What could be more compelling than an imminent crisis in the kingdom to force His Majesty to elect early? How about establishing a heir and leaving a way out for a possible war? Even in this crisis, once a highly respected family makes a move to obey the people and gather the support of small and medium-sized nobles, who knows whether they can become the next Brilliant Star, the next royal family?"
Silence.
Tales stared out the window blankly.
He understood what Gilbert meant.
It's just that he was shocked by the fact that burned his brain and made him horrified to think about it, and he couldn't let it go for a long time.
Gilbert looked at his expression and shook his head slightly.
Hopefully, this cruel and bloody game that has been played for thousands of years will not scare this smart and talented little gentleman away.
After a long while, Tales finally spoke in silence.
"So, this is not only the wish of Exeter: war and changing the king. It is also the wish of many people in Starfall: competing for the royal family." Tales added the final conclusion with difficulty:
"The assassination of the envoy is the result of many political factors... It is something that will inevitably happen with the tacit understanding of the careerists of the two countries..."
"Yes." Tales spat out the last two words in an affirmative sentence.
Gilbert looked at his state with worry, blinked hesitantly, and said, "In view of the current situation of the royal family, your existence and appearance will become the target of public criticism whether you face the lords at home or face Exeter internationally. For your safety, I will suggest to His Majesty to postpone the recognition of your..."
"Is it worth it?" Tales didn't pay attention to Gilbert's words. He spoke softly and interrupted the middle-aged nobleman.
Gilbert raised his eyebrows.
"What kind of person would look forward to and long for the coming of war?" Tales asked feebly.
"This is not a game of counting pieces on a chessboard," Tales slowly closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "This is a war. It is a war between two groups of living people standing face to face, depriving each other of their lives reasonably and legally until one side is completely deprived of everything... a war."
"They have experienced the disaster of Year of Blood, why are there still people looking forward to war?"
"Just for a crown? To enjoy authority and power in a broken and decaying kingdom, on a barren and starving land, and among numb people? Then rule for more than twenty years in a miserable, fearful, and suspicious manner, and then impose the same misfortune on your descendants?"
"Is it worth it?"
Gilbert wanted to answer, but was speechless for a moment.
Tales, who had no answer, shook his head dejectedly.
However, this is probably history.
The history of human behavior.
There was another silence in the carriage.
The carriage drove away from the bustling King's Avenue. There were more and more beggars outside the carriage, and Jinnie had to use a riding crop to scare them away.
"This is not just war," Gilbert looked at his students with a worried face and said softly, "This is politics."
"We are all gamblers aiming for power."
"Land and people are nothing but bargaining chips that can be exchanged."
"Between victory and defeat, it is just a transfer of chips."
"This is the game between the nobility and the state."
Tales raised his gaze and chuckled helplessly, "Yes, war is the continuation of politics - the game of thrones, the feast of crows."
But I don't like this.
In his heart, a voice whispered.
Tales's peripheral vision shifted to the car window, where a beggar stretched out his hand to touch the axle with a sad face.
Looking at the beggars among these Royal Capital, Tales thought in a low voice: This is already a dilapidated kingdom--
Wait!
The carriage passed by a bright Eternal Lamp, Tales focused his eyes, and instantly saw the beggar's hand clearly.
Those were rough and calloused hands.
But the calluses are not evenly distributed in the areas where workers and beggars usually touch and bear weight on their palms. Instead, they are concentrated on the thumb and index finger, and near the tiger's mouth.
His brain immediately started spinning.
He had also seen such unique calluses on another person's hands.
Yala Saredon.
Tales was startled and turned to another beggar, then the third, the fourth...
"Gilbert!"
The middle-aged noble looked puzzled.
I saw Tales calmly said:
"Something's wrong."
"These people are not beggars."
The boy took a deep breath:
"They... they are..."
Yordel's hoarse voice came faintly from the void, taking over his words:
"It's an assassin."