Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 155 An Irresistible Bargain

Thales stared at the black ring with a grim expression.

A triumphant return for the "Poison Emperor".

He didn't know what emotions to use to deal with this.

That dramatic duel, with its thrilling reversal at the end, that duel that could be said to have determined the fate of both nations, actually...

“So,” he said with difficulty after a few seconds, “that’s how you ‘triumphed’ in the duel?”

King Nuen chuckled softly, a sly and pleased look in his eyes.

“As you said,” he returned Thales’ words verbatim to the second prince, “after all, this concerns such a large country. What if something goes wrong?”

Thales's thoughts were in complete disarray.

The image of Núñez VII that he had just built in his heart, from that duel, was that of a bold, heroic, and aged man who still possessed a heroic spirit.

Collapsed suddenly.

Instead, there was a cunning and scheming old king who turned a ring behind the long table.

“Remember this, little Thales,” King Nunn said meaningfully, “a king should never act rashly, let impulse replace reason, or resort to risky gambles for pleasure—you are not just yourself, but the whole country.”

Thales ignored his words; his mind was racing.

It took Thales a long time to recover from his shock and try to grasp a few clues from his chaotic thoughts.

Based on his understanding of the North along the way, he knew that if this secret were to be revealed, King Nuen would become a target of universal condemnation.

This would be enough to ruin the reputation of the Walton family, end the rule of Dragonrise City, and even endanger the dignity of the entire Kingdom of Exter and all the people of the North.

but……

Thales turned his head, looked at the silent, complex-faced King Nunn, and asked incredulously, "Why are you telling me this?"

Shouldn't this be a top secret, forever buried in one's heart and taken to the grave?
"Do you know how serious this secret is?" Thales felt his heart racing and unconsciously clenched his fist slightly.

However, King Nunn simply looked at Thales calmly with a pleasant smile—showing no sign of the serious tension that one would feel upon discovering someone's secret.

“Of course,” King Nuen scoffed lightly, seemingly unconcerned, “this is the greatest stain on the Northern Way, even an disrespect to the gods and a contempt for the dukes.”

“Even the humblest Northman would despise their once most beloved king for this matter—and once a new king ascends the throne, he can use this as a reason to banish the Walton family from the ranks of the Grand Dukes forever.”

After speaking, King Nunn narrowed his eyes and looked at Thales with a deep expression.

"Now, you know this secret, don't you?" the king said with a playful tone.

Thales frowned, his doubts and unease deepening under King Nunn's gaze.

"Your Majesty Nuen, what... what exactly do you want to do?"

In that instant, Thales felt that the old man in front of him was like a dark, bottomless vortex.

He himself was like a small boat caught in a whirlpool.

After a few seconds.

"This is a gesture of sincerity."

The old king said calmly.

“Sincerity?” Thales repeated, puzzled.

King Nuen scooped up a cup of wine and leisurely took a sip.

“I have offered a bargaining chip,” King Nunn said calmly and composedly.
"And as long as you hold this chip, you can bring the Walton family to ruin at any time."

"What does that mean?" Thales's confusion only grew.

Just then, King Nuen changed the subject again.

“You seemed to have spoken to Nicolai before,” King Nunn said softly, ignoring Thales’ expression.
"After you helped me find the culprit, you want something in return?"

Thales frowned and gritted his teeth slightly.

"Is this what you call a benefit?" Thales asked with some difficulty.

“Of course not, how can this be considered a benefit,” King Nuen chuckled. “It will only make you uneasy—especially while you are still in Dragon Sky City, within my territory—you will be constantly worried about your safety because of this secret.”

Thales took a deep breath and felt his mouth was dry.

He was extremely uncomfortable at that moment.

“The Dragonlance family is never stingy,” the old king said, his smile fading, his words sending a chill down Thales’ spine: “So, after meeting you yesterday afternoon, are you satisfied with your ‘reward’?”

Thales suddenly looked up.

“Yesterday afternoon?” Thales frowned.

“Yes,” King Nuen looked at him intently, “yesterday afternoon.”

Thales' expression changed.

yesterday afternoon.

After leaving the Hall of Heroes, he got lost in Valhalla, and then...

then.

"What, you think a foreign prince who's just arrived here?" Under Thales's incredulous gaze, the old king stroked the ring on his hand and slowly spoke:
"Being able to wander freely and without restraint in my Valhalla?"

King Nunn glanced at Thales, a sharp glint in his eyes: "And you just happened to wander into Nekaru's library?"

Thales' heart skipped a beat, and he stood there dumbfounded.

“That was because Myrk deliberately led you there,” King Nunn said calmly.

"So you've met my granddaughter, Thales."

The next second, Thales sat blankly on the steps, listening to the composed King Nunn speak softly:
"Your future wife..."

"And the Queen."

The hall fell silent again.

Thales stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.

The scene in that library appeared in his mind.

That spoiled and willful little princess who arbitrarily beats and scolds her servants, Alex Walton.

But then another figure appeared that left an even deeper impression—a disheveled little girl with black-rimmed glasses, her face covered in dust, lying on the ground reading a book.

Little rascal.

King Nuen said nothing more, and calmly took another sip of wine.

It took Thales a full minute to get a sense of the situation.

"Why? What's going on?" Thales asked, his breathing rapid. He looked up. "What do you mean by this?"

King Nunn took a deep breath and looked up at the fireplace on the other side of the hall.

Looking at the wall shelf above the fireplace, there was that ferocious weapon that had been passed down from the hero Nekaru to the Walton family.

Soul-Slaying Spear.

“Of all the lies you told Aurelius and the others, at least one was true,” King Nunn said, his eyes burning with an unreadable emotion.

"For the continuation of Walton..."

The old king turned his head, his sharp gaze fixed on Thales, his expression resolute:
"I must place my bet on a strong man, a future king."

Thales' face turned ashen, and his fists clenched tighter and tighter.

He suddenly realized something.

King Nunn remained silent, awaiting Thales' response.

“The Walton family is dying,” Thales finally spoke up after a long pause.
"You want to use a marriage alliance to force the Starry Sky Royal Family and the Star Kingdom to preserve the Dragonlance family's existence?"

“You want me to marry your granddaughter,” Thales said, his voice rising unconsciously.

"Let me, let the Star Kingdom take on this burden?"

King Nuen gripped his wine cup, gazing at the Soul-Slaying Spear.

He snorted lightly, seemingly unimpressed.

“No,” the king’s aged voice rang out again, “what I am giving you is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

"A bargaining chip that cannot be refused."

Telston suddenly felt a jolt.

“Think about what you can gain,” King Nunn’s eyes were filled with depth and coldness.
"As blood relatives by marriage with the Grand Duke's family of Dragon Sky City, the supreme royal family of Starry Sky..."

"From now on, I will be able to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Exter." At that moment, Thales felt a chill in his heart.

"One of your and my granddaughter's descendants will inherit the Walton name and rights, becoming the future Grand Duke of Dragonrise City," King Nunn said coldly, as if he were talking about something completely unrelated to himself.
"And you, Thales Star, will do what even the combined might of Oathkeeper Midil IV and Hero Sara cannot do."

"You will become the supreme king of the Star Kingdom..." King Nunn's expression remained unchanged as he uttered words that left Thales in utter turmoil:
"The Regent of Dragon Sky City, the first territory in the Kingdom of Exter."

Thales stared blankly at King Nunn.

Even though he possessed memories that made him feel out of place in this world, and even though his brain was working frantically, he couldn't immediately process this news.

“And before that,” the old king’s face became more serious than ever before:
"If you still want to hold onto the Walton family as leverage, and still want to use Dragoncity to restrain the Kingdom of Exter..."

Thales let out a dejected sigh and picked up where King Nunn left off:
"The Star Kingdom and I must do everything in our power to ensure the Walton family's rule and status in Dragonsky City, and protect the Dragonlance family from extinction in Exter, right?"

King Nuen smiled with satisfaction.

“If the future king intends to use the reason of ‘no male heir’ to strip the Walton family of their rights, he will have to think twice,” Nunn VII continued.

"The attitude of that Western Shield in the south—he's taking away your cheese."

King Nunn revealed a determined look in his eyes: "What you need to do is to demonstrate the existence of the stars and maintain the rule of the Walton family—even if only a little girl is left, even if the other grand dukes oppose her—so that you can gain the greatest bargaining chip and advantage when facing Exter in the future."

"This will also strengthen the Star Family's influence and status domestically, and enhance the prestige of the royal family—given your current situation."

Thales suddenly recalled his conversation with Gilbert when he first arrived at Mindis Hall, when Gilbert had tricked him into making a pact with Serena Corleone.

“Winning over allies by binding them together with shared interests,” Thales unconsciously repeated Gilbert’s words in a low voice: “That’s the essence of politics.”

“I can live another eight or nine years, by which time the stars should have begun to recover,” King Nunn nodded approvingly. “After that, the last direct descendant of the Walton family, my granddaughter, your wife…”

"I'm entrusting you with my protection."

Thales remained silent for a long time.

Marriage.

Stars and Exter.

Shining Star and Walton.

“What if I say 'no'?” He raised his head coldly, looking at King Nuen. “What if I don’t want to be dragged into this dangerous quagmire?”

“Those who dance with dragons often hang by a thread, and,” the second prince said calmly, “so far, those who have tried to ally with me have either harmed me greatly or been harmed by me greatly.”

And—Tales recalled what Jann Kevin Deer had told him on the day he set off north—"To sail with wolves is to risk capsizing."

King Nuen stared at him, his blue eyes holding a strange and unpredictable color.

Thales met the king's gaze without flinching.

"This has nothing to do with your wishes," the old king finally nodded slowly.
"The raven carrying the king's decree will fly to Everstar City tomorrow—it's up to your father to decide."

Thales involuntarily shuddered.

“What if… even my father wouldn’t agree?” Thales gritted his teeth, hearing his own hoarse voice: “Wouldn’t agree to drag the stars into this quagmire?”

“Oh, that,” the old king replied nonchalantly, “I gave you the secret of ‘triumph,’ didn’t I?”

Thales' pupils contracted, and he stared at him blankly.

“Star can use this bargaining chip to destroy the Walton family at any time—that's enough to convince him,” King Nunn said slowly in his aged yet powerful voice.

"You've discovered a treasure, and you might worry that it's a trap and abandon it. But when you also have the power to destroy it... will you still be convinced by your own concerns and choose to give it up?"

Thales was speechless for a moment.

Faced with such a King Exeter and such a situation, even someone as shrewd and resourceful as him felt "overwhelmed".

His intuition also told him that King Kessel would certainly agree to such an alliance.

“But the power of the ‘triumphant return’ coin will gradually fade with your death,” Thales took a deep breath and echoed the old king’s words:

"The benefits of using 'Triumphant' will diminish over time. In comparison, my father, Kessel... will certainly favor the benefits of a marriage alliance and provide stronger support to Walton to secure his position..."

"And we've gained a nail driven into the Dragon Kingdom, reversing the decline of the Star Kingdom after the Crimson Year!" King Nuen raised an eyebrow, scooped up another cup of wine from the barrel, and downed it.

“I suspect the nobles in Exter won’t be happy,” Thales said dejectedly.
"Including every grand duke."

“Of course not—they all wish Walton would fall.” A glint flashed in King Nunn’s eyes as he put down his wine glass and wiped his mouth.

“But I am the King of Exter, and I will remove the last obstacle to our cooperation,” King Nunn replied calmly. “The men of service in Dragonsreach will not have a peaceful year ahead—dealing with Lumba is just the beginning.”

Thales immediately understood.

From Nikolai's probing to the so-called "test" the king gave him.

“So,” Thales sighed, “you’ve planned everything all along.”

“Don’t lump me in with those scheming, underhanded scoundrels,” King Nuen snorted in dissatisfaction. “This isn’t a conspiracy, but—to use a Far Eastern term—an open scheme, a bargaining chip you can’t refuse.”

“Yes,” Thales lowered his head, a sense of indescribable loss rising from the depths of his heart: “all these schemes, plots and schemes… or something like that.”

“You are all very good at this.”

Just as he had felt when he first met King Kessel in the Hall of Mindis, Thales once again felt the helplessness and powerlessness of having one's fate and choices firmly in the hands of others.

That feeling of powerlessness, drifting with the tide, floating with the wind.

King Nuen watched him silently.

After a long while, illuminated by the firelight, the old king slowly spoke.

“You are a special child, Thales,” King Nunn sighed, his voice revealing a clear sense of vicissitude. “I can sense it—you possess both the keenness and determination of Sulir and the impracticality of Mosul.”

Keen and resolute.

unrealistic.

“Hmph, thanks for the compliment,” Thales replied wearily, chuckling softly. “I suppose you probably think the latter is more common?”

When King Nuen spoke of his two deceased sons, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

“You are not weak, Thales, even though you are only this young,” the old king said earnestly. “From my observation of you and from the reports of Nikolai and the others, you are a survivor and have all the qualities to become a strong person, but what you need is time and tempering.”

King Nuen clenched his fist and tapped his left chest: "And a heart that is hard enough, cold enough, and unwavering enough."

A hard, cold, and unwavering heart?
Thales frowned, unable to bear it any longer, and asked, "Don't you get tired? The court, the country, the Grand Duke, conspiracies, tricks, assassinations, all of these... God knows what the hell is waiting for you."

I escaped from Hongfang Street... and have been here ever since.

Magicians, Blood Vial Gang, Vampires, Iris Flowers, Black Prophet, the Six Great Families, Exter...

Time and again, we face malice, crises, and exhausting conspiracies and schemes.

Even though Thales struggled through time and again, he felt he was nearing his limit.

This pace of life left Thales exhausted—even his life as a beggar in the abandoned house hadn't given him this feeling of "the road ahead is difficult".

“I guess,” Thales hesitated for a moment before blurting out, “if Prince Moral is really the kind of person Pefit describes, he’ll get tired too.”

King Nuen's expression slowly froze, his eyes swirling with deep emotions.

There was a few seconds of silence in the room.

“It’s normal for you to feel tired; everyone gets tired sometimes,” King Nuen finally spoke slowly.

“But for us, when you feel tired, want to stop, or even want to give up, you feel…” He clutched his injured shoulder and took a deep breath amidst the pain: “pain.”

"Whether it's the pain of being swept up in the tide and powerless to control yourself, or the pain inflicted on you by your enemies when they see you as weak and vulnerable."

King Nuen pursed his lips, as if recalling something:
"That kind of deep-seated pain pushes you back into the weary battlefield, making you go back and forth between exhaustion and pain until you get used to it all."

"This is something we are born to bear, and it's not just us," the old king continued expressionlessly.
Before becoming Grand Duke, Aurelius was poisoned twice by his half-brother; Trudida married a rough woman from a mountain tribe just to clear a piece of wasteland in the Sighing Mountains for his barren Reconstruction Tower; old bald Lyco once painfully married off his youngest daughter to Commas to maintain the treasury, until she died miserably in a foreign land; on the day he became Grand Duke, Ronnie personally ordered the execution of six arrogant counts and viscounts on his territory, all of whom were his father's most trusted men; and Rumba, in front of everyone, plunged his sword into the heart of his own brother, a ruthless figure who seized the Grand Duke's throne—but they all returned time and again in pain and exhaustion.

"You too? Returning from pain and exhaustion?" Thales lowered his gaze. "Like your son?"

For a full ten seconds, King Nuen remained silent.

“Do you know Suliel, my eldest son, the man most likely to inherit this throne?” After a moment of silence, King Nuen raised his head and gazed at the renowned Soul-Slaying Spear: “He died twelve years ago.”

Thales was slightly taken aback.

“Alex…the young lady’s father?” he asked cautiously, hesitantly. “I heard from Lord Myrk that he died in a hunting accident…”

“No,” King Nuen quickly interrupted the second prince this time, his face ashen. “An accident is just our official explanation.”

Thales frowned slightly and held his breath once again.

"He died during a hunt, assassinated with ulterior motives," the old king said calmly. "To be precise..."

"They are assassins from your stars."

Upon hearing this, Thales was suddenly jolted.

I won't wish you all a happy Winter Solstice, since you're all already very happy.

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(End of this chapter)