Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 379 Welcome to the Star Kingdom (Part 1)

The raging fire illuminated the pitch-black sky, while the blood was crimson.

The battle began abruptly, and in stark contrast, it ended quietly.

Unbeknownst to them, the sounds of fighting and shouting became sparse and almost inaudible, and the fighters' movements gradually changed from sharp swings to precise stabbings and final blows.

The orcs at the forefront fled further and further away, out of the sand dunes and the light of the fire, and disappeared into the night.

The Stardust Guard, who had been charging back and forth, gradually came to a stop. Amidst the corpses and blood on the ground, they reined in their horses, turned around, and checked and confirmed their gains.

On the other side, the Chromar family's cavalry had already dealt with the orcs covering the rear, and they joined up with the Stardust Guard in a grand procession.

But none of this concerns Thales, or the human prisoners being escorted down.

They were not overlooked.

After the battle, the cavalrymen, whose robes and shields were painted with ravens, charged up the small dune and drove them off the dune with no polite shouting or shooing.

Thales believed that if they showed even the slightest resistance or discontent, these formidable cavalrymen wouldn't mind drinking more blood with their weapons.

And so, the caravan members, including the mercenaries, became prisoners for the second time. Under the close watch of a squad of Clomar family cavalry, they obediently walked down the sand dunes and onto the devastated battlefield.

"Hurry up, sand bandits!"

A knight wielding a spear urged impatiently.

“We are not sand bandits, sir,” Tomding protested sternly, tugging at his collar.

Perhaps because he was no longer facing ferocious and evil orcs, the caravan owner regained much of his courage.

“It’s a caravan! A legitimate, legal, and qualified caravan! My ancestors once…”

The knight holding the spear smiled.

"I'm not some adult; my ancestors for seven or eight generations have probably all been farmers. As for you..."

“The people of the desert, the bandits, the caravans, the exiles,” he shook his head on horseback, “do you know what makes you different to me?”

Tom Ding pretended to listen attentively.

“The answer is,” the knight said coldly, “I don’t know.”

"And I don't care."

Tom Ding's smile froze slightly.

The next second, the knight's lance struck Tomding hard in the buttocks:

"So get your ass moving, you sand bandit!"

Amid Tomding's pitiful cries, the group nervously made their way to the center of the battlefield.

The fire caused by the pile of eternal oil had shrunk considerably, but it was still burning, illuminating everything around it.

As the Clomar family's cavalrymen cleaned up the battlefield, they joked without restraint, drawing many uneasy glances from those with ill intentions.

“Wait here,” the knight said coldly, sheathing his lance and dismounting. “The lords will decide how to deal with you.”

"My God," Tomding gasped, clutching his backside with one hand and wiping sweat with the other, whispering among the prisoners:
“These are savages… Listen, we need to coordinate our statements. We didn’t come from Baki Dunes, but from the Tower of the End heading south, so we don’t know about the Star Blockade…”

“God of the Desert… Sep,” Dean sighed, “Do you think they don’t know our true strength?”

Tom Ding was slightly taken aback.

“They have two forces, the Clomar family and the Stardust Guard, one of which is lying in ambush at a distance, attacking from different directions, which means they planned this in advance.”

“These Starfolk may have spotted us long ago. I’d even bet they know our caravan came from the Bladefang camp,” Dean said, glancing at the surrounding cavalry.

"They were just following the trail of our camp from a distance, their aim to lure those cunning orcs into a trap—and they succeeded. Our caravan had put the orcs on their toes. If it weren't for the fire, it would have been a perfect trap, slowly closing in under the cover of night to wipe out the orcs who were fast asleep on their spoils and supplies."

Louisa's face was grim: "They—used us as bait?"

Dean sighed and nodded: "So, I suggest you tell the truth and don't hide anything."

Tomding stared in disbelief, his mouth agape: "But our cargo..."

"who cares?"

McGee coldly interrupted him, "Do you know how many people we've lost?"

“We shouldn’t have come here—or we should have turned back yesterday.”

These words silenced everyone in the caravan.

Where the knight walked, a group of soldiers held torches and set up an open space. Two officers, dressed differently from ordinary soldiers, stood on the ground, leading their horses and discussing something loudly.

It is worth noting that the Star People stood on two sides, clearly divided into two groups.

On one side, under the banner of a single-winged raven, a serious-looking young nobleman was surrounded.

The other side, including the Freak Squad, carried the Stardust banner and followed behind another burly officer—Tales recognized him; this officer's left arm was slightly thicker than his right, and he was the "leader" of the Freak Squad who had just killed the orcish Holy Guard with a single punch.

Thales let out a long breath and pondered his next move.

The army of stars is right before us.

According to the original plan, the secret agents would take him into the desert to join the Starry Sky army, but now...

The Clomar family's conscripts, and the Stardust Guard, which serves as the royal family's standing army.

Can these people be trusted?

If he were to reveal his identity now...would it be a wise choice?
"What are they saying?" Quickstrip squinted. "They look like they're arguing?"

Thales looked up and saw that the argument between the two officers was getting more and more heated.

Old Hammer stared at it for a while, then shook his head.

“I’m not surprised. On the western front, conscripts and regular troops have never mixed up.”

"They have a bad relationship?"

“Let me put it this way,” Old Hammer coughed, clearly still recovering from his injury, “In the Baki camp, if a lord’s conscript and a royal standing army soldier were to enter the same latrine…”

"Usually, only one person can clean up their bottom before coming out."

Quick Rope asked, puzzled, "But they're all Star People, and they're even stationed in the same camp, why are they like this..."

"The current King Exter and his brother share the same mother," Old Hammer chuckled.
"He didn't hold back when he stabbed my brother to death."

The Bone Man shook his head: "Bloodthorn Lizard."

These words reminded the prisoners of something, and soon no one spoke.

The officers' argument finally came to an end.

"So this is the caravan?"

A gentle voice came from behind, and the "boss" who had shouted "Fuck your mother" on the battlefield clapped his hands and stepped forward.

Thales noticed that the so-called "freak squad" was all standing behind the officer.

"That bonfire party was really lively, quite a sight to behold," the so-called leader said in a thick Western Wilderness accent. He waved to the burning eternal oil in the distance, his face composed: "Who's in charge?"

For a moment, Thales thought he had returned to a few dozen minutes earlier, to the time when he was being interrogated by the orc Kandar.

The prisoners looked at each other in bewilderment.

“My lord,” the caravan leader finally exhaled, his face breaking into a broad smile, and stepped forward, “I am Sepp Tomding. Sir, I frequently travel the trade route between the Blade Fang camp and the Three Kingdoms of the Misty Sea. My ancestors once served under a wise ruler…”

“I am Duro,” the leader of the superhumans looked at Tomdin, then glanced at the cautious dozen or so people in the caravan, interrupting him without any courtesy: “Cusak Duro, but not a big shot. My ancestors for three generations were farmers until Baron Williams chose me to be one of his vanguard officers, leading a small squad.”

Tom Ding was immediately embarrassed.

But he quickly recovered, immediately clasping his hands together with admiration: "Oh, so you're serving the Baron..."

At this moment, the young nobleman from the Cloma family breathed out impatiently: "Hurry up, you freaks, don't waste time—haven't we wasted enough time today?"

Thales suddenly realized that this was the knight who had given the order to "leave no one alive" on the dunes—it seemed that he was the commander on the Clomar family's side.

Upon hearing the word "freak," Captain Duro turned to the young nobleman, his smile unchanged, but his eyes flashing with a cold light:

"Baron Guz, as agreed, may I be the one to negotiate?"

The young nobleman, Guz, shrugged.

"casual."

Duro nodded, then turned around, squinted, and carefully examined the merchant in front of him.

"Eternal Oil".

The superhuman's next words made Tom Ding tremble slightly.

He pointed to the still-burning camp in the distance: "To start a fire of this magnitude, Tomdy, how much did you manage to get your hands on? Ten barrels? Twenty barrels?"

At that moment, Tom Ding forced a smile that was both awkward and obsequious.

He looked left and right, his gaze shifting between the flames and Duro: "Sir, we... we only managed to buy this oil because we encountered some unscrupulous smugglers on the road—I mean, we can't just let it flow into the desert, can we? But I swear I wasn't involved in anything..."

Dean sighed quietly behind him.

"Shit."

“Apart from those orcs, the surrounding area has already been completely cleared by our people,” Duro sneered. “These Eternal Oils were brought out from the Blade Fang camp by you, Tangdi, despite the blockade and embargo regulations.”

Tom Ding's face stiffened, not even noticing that the other person had mispronounced his name.

"It's clear that you're not some small caravan of five or six people."

“I bet if we searched your goods, we would find quite a few embargoed items.” “Smuggling prohibited goods into the desert, and doing so under the blockade order…” Duro sighed, his eyes sharpening: “I don’t think this is a legitimate business activity.”

“You know, it can be a crime.”

The prisoners all frowned.

Tom Ding's expression turned panicked: "My lord, we..."

The leader of the superhumans raised a finger and silenced him.

“But you did help a little, diverting the attention of those gray bastards somewhat,” Duro slowly raised his head, revealing a warm smile, and nodded approvingly: “For our victory…”

"Made a small contribution."

Hope rekindled on Tomding's face.

"It's my pleasure, it's my pleasure. I'm so grateful to be of help to you, sir... I feel ashamed..."

He was slightly agitated: "So..."

"Yet the orc leader still escaped," Baron Guz said coldly from the other side, sounding very unpleasant. "Thanks to your 'touching' tactical coordination, Stardust Guard."

Duro's smile vanished: "We'll discuss this later, Baron Guz."

"not now."

Guz snorted coldly.

Looking at the two groups of people standing on either side, seemingly at odds, and the two commanders who were clearly at odds, Thales seemed to be deep in thought.

Duro turned around and looked at the bewildered Tomdin.

He smiled and said, "Therefore, although your illegal and disorderly conduct is despicable, Tomdy, I am still willing to put in a good word for you in front of the judge and give you a choice."

Opportunity to choose?
Thales frowned slightly.

He noticed that the "freaks" behind Duro exchanged glances and smiled mysteriously, while Baron Guz, opposite Duro, looked to the other side with disdain.

Tom Ding took a breath, almost bursting into tears.

“Sir! I would be extremely grateful… By the way, my name is Tom Ding, not Tomdy…”

The leader of the superhumans accepted his thanks with a smile: "So, Tomdy..."

"Treason, espionage...which of these two charges do you choose?"

These words stunned the entire group of prisoners.

Colluding with the enemy.

spy?

Even Thales was taken aback, wondering if he should reveal his identity.

Tom Ding's eyes widened: "What?"

Duro sighed.

“Don’t be surprised, Tomdy. Judging from this huge pile of evidence you’ve brought, you’re definitely going to be imprisoned for these two crimes, enough to land you in the Bone Prison,” the oddball captain of the Stardust Guard looked at them with a troubled expression, then smiled. “But I’m still giving you a choice. You can pick one of them, isn’t that nice?”

Tom Ding's face turned from red to green.

“No, no, no, sir, I swear… we are not… you cannot… we… made a small contribution…”

Just as Tomdin was rambling incoherently, Duro raised another finger!
"but!"

The captain's eyes flickered slightly: "If the evidence is insufficient, I think it will be difficult to establish a charge, and the judge will be helpless against you."

Tom Ding took a break.

"Insufficient evidence? Wh...what do you mean?"

He stared at Duro, bewildered.

“Look? Your Eternal Oil is almost burned up,” Duro sighed, pointing to the burning camp in the distance. “Without evidence, I don’t think the judge can make things difficult for you regarding the smuggling of Eternal Oil.”

Tom Ding stared at him blankly.

Duro stepped forward, his thick left arm around the merchant's shoulder, and with no room for resistance, spun him around, taking in the surrounding scenery.

Those were the camps and tents where the caravans had set up, and the goods piled up there were scattered and messy during the fierce battle.

"But look around, your goods—whether smuggled, violated the blockade, or contraband—are all exposed... With the sun setting and so much evidence against you, even if I wanted to exonerate you, it would be very difficult to prove your innocence..."

Duro patted him on the shoulder, his expression serious: "Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Dean and Old Hammer's expressions immediately turned strange.

Tom Ding looked at the goods around him, his lips trembling, speechless.

Duro put his arm around Tomding's shoulder like a brother and looked at him with deep affection.

A few seconds later, the snake-hand behind Duro shrugged: "I don't think he understands, boss."

On the other side, Baron Guz burst out laughing.

The superhuman was immediately embarrassed.

He sighed, released Tomdin, and disappointedly shoved him back into the ranks of prisoners. His thick left arm made Tomdin stumble. "Well then, the charges of treason and espionage..."

As Duro spoke, the Star Soldiers beside him placed their hands on their weapons.

Thales was startled.

Just then, Dean stepped forward.

The mercenary stomped hard on Tomding's foot and whispered in his ear, "Give it to them!"

Tom Ding snapped to attention and immediately realized what was happening.

"I understand!"

He screamed like a pig being slaughtered, raising his hands high: "Understood! Understood, sir!"

The sound was so loud that it echoed across the surrounding sand dunes.

This caused the soldiers cleaning up the mess to turn around frequently.

Captain Duro, who was standing with his hands on his hips, paused slightly and slowly raised his eyes.

"You... really understand?"

"Yes sir!"

Tomding, his face contorted with grief, answered without hesitation, gesturing to the surrounding camp: "Goods... all the goods of our caravan, all the goods of the sixteen merchants, from pots and pans to spice seeds, from clothing and jewelry to valuable collections... take it all, take it all! We want nothing! We just want, just let us go..."

The merchants' faces immediately darkened.

But Duro did not respond with a smile as expected.

The squad leader sighed painfully, slapped his forehead, and looked utterly disappointed.

"Oh, my... no, you still don't understand!"

The prisoners looked at him with surprise and suspicion.

Duro lowered his hand, looking disappointed.

He raised his voice: "Let us take your goods...?"

Duro sighed with resentment, his hands pounding against the hilt of his sword and his armor, making a series of clanging sounds that startled Tomdin, who retreated repeatedly. "Do you think we—His Majesty's army—would covet your things, your wealth, not even a single copper coin? What do you take us for? Greedy officials who hoard money or shameless bandits?"

"Is it hard to imagine that this is the image of the great kingdom's army in your minds?"

"Sunset Goddess, we are the army of the Star Kingdom, with our own rules and creeds, existing to protect the kingdom and its people!"

The leader of the superhumans paced back and forth, seemingly unable to comprehend the thoughts of the prisoners. His righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor made many people feel ashamed.

He became increasingly angry as he spoke:

"Please don't insult us like that!"

The prisoners stared in disbelief at the righteous and stern-faced captain with superpowers.

"what happened?"

Within the group, Dean whispered, puzzled, "Does he think it's not enough?"

“I don’t know,” Old Hammer replied, coughing. “That’s all the caravan’s property.”

Tomding looked at the furious, sighing, and resentful Captain Duro and looked to the others for help in fear, but the other Star Riders all looked at him calmly.

"If you're not satisfied, I have another sum of money for you when we return to Baki's camp..."

Duro stopped in his tracks.

He spread his hands, staring at Tomding with disbelief, as if he had seen the most incredible thing in the world.

"What are you doing, Tomdy?"

"You actually...attempted to bribe me? Bribed me? Bribed the glorious kingdom's army, bribed His Majesty's soldiers?"

"Do you think we protect you for money? We have our own salaries and rewards, and more importantly, we have our own dignity!"

Don't rush me. When I'm stuck, I'm more anxious than anyone else.



(End of this chapter)