Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 398 The Alliance of the Traitors
The tavern fell silent once more.

"Dean?"

"Big Dean? Bald Dean?"

Ricky stroked his chin, suddenly realizing, "'Dane's Greatsword,' the one with the quick wit, superb skills, and promising future, Dean?"

Russell remained silent, while the other nodded in agreement.

"Your informants... are really well hidden." Ricky clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Hmm, Dante's greatsword?" Boss Tampa frowned and scratched his chin.

Ricky raised his eyebrows.

and many more.

That means……

In that instant, the eyes of many mercenaries, including the hostage tavern owner Tampa, followed Ricky and turned to the other side, focusing on the wide-eyed Thales and the stunned Quick Rope.

What are you doing?
Thales, now back in the spotlight, pondered in a daze.

“Hey,” Marina turned to Sonny with a suspicious look and whispered, “I remember, weren’t these two people at Dante’s Greatsword…”

The mercenaries began to whisper among themselves.

Ricky watched the two of them with great interest, seemingly having figured something out.

Faced with everyone's scrutiny, Thales could only manage a subtle and awkward smile.

“You really have a good idea,” Thales said, maintaining his expression under everyone’s gaze, his lips barely moving as he bit into a low, dissatisfied tone at Quick Rope: “To find ‘professionals’ to handle the body?”

He desperately tried to control his gaze, avoiding looking unconsciously at the human-shaped sack at his feet.

"What should we do now?"

Beside Thales, the former Prince Exter was also twitching his face, wearing an awkward expression that was both funny and exasperating.

"Calm down, calm down," Quick Rope wiped his sweat and gave the several fierce-looking mercenaries around him a fawning smile:

"There will always be a way."

The guests outside the blood-soaked horn noticed these small changes, but they clearly had no energy to pay attention to these trivial matters within the mercenaries' ranks.

Russell coughed once:
"In short, that's our goal. Although the initial lead has been lost, we still have reliable intelligence sources inside..."

But at that moment, Ricky turned his attention away from Thales and the other man and raised his hand.

“Wait a minute, Mr. Russell Vida.”

"The leader of the Sword of Calamity said calmly."

As he spoke, the lights in the tavern flickered slightly, causing shadows to rise and fall.

Ricky looked up and smiled slightly.

"We haven't agreed to cooperate with you yet."

Russell was taken aback.

The man, with his aristocratic air, straightened his face and looked at the chisel.

"When you notified me... I thought you had already convinced them?"

Chisel shrugged and gave a helpless smile.

"Good things come to those who wait."

Russell's brow furrowed and relaxed perfectly, suppressing his dissatisfaction.

“We haven’t reached any agreement, Mr. Vida,” Ricky smiled. “In fact, we were suddenly greeted by you uninvited guests on the eve of the operation, who immediately asked to ‘cooperate’ with us… We are still quite ‘surprised’ to this day.”

Clay gave a soft hum, echoing Ricky's words.

The surrounding mercenaries gripped their weapons, their faces showing displeasure.

Chisel waved to Russell: "So you have to be there in person—I alone are far from enough."

Seeing the menacing expressions on the Swords of Calamity's faces, Russell seemed to realize something.

He understood the atmosphere of the scene.

"Ok."

He nodded, quickly composed himself, and a capable air emanated from his tense face.

This felt strangely familiar to Thales.

“Those who wield the Blood Horn, or rather, the Sword of Calamity,” Russell raised a finger:
"I think we must reach this consensus."

Ricky looked interested and gestured for him to proceed.

“You intend to seize the Prison of Bones,” Russell said, looking around and raising his second finger with a serious expression, “while we aim to capture the Prince of the Stars.”

“These two things cannot be done separately at Baki’s camp.”

Ricky squinted slightly.

“If you breach the Prison of Bones tonight,” Russell said gravely.
"Within just a few hours, the entire Baki camp will be awakened, and thousands of regular Kingdom armed forces will flood in like a tide, bringing cordons, search teams, patrols, and all the trouble you can imagine. After that, it will be impossible for my men to deal with Prince Star."

Russell gestured towards the chisel, which nodded humbly in agreement.

Thales became even more puzzled about their relationship.

Russell then changed the subject: "Similarly, if we kidnap the Star Prince tonight, alarms will be sounding in the camp before dawn. Any suspicious forces or gatherings, including mercenary groups, will become the first targets of the Star People. At that time, it will be even more difficult for you to take action against the Bone Prison."

"The conclusion is clear: we're like two people tied at opposite ends of a rope. If we don't pull in the same direction, if we each go our own way without considering the consequences," Russell turned around, his words carrying a strong weight.
"That would be a futile effort on both ends, and no one would get what they wanted."

Ricky and Clay exchanged glances, seeing the caution in each other's eyes.

"So, gentlemen, do you understand why we've come uninvited and in the middle of the night?"

Russell ignored the surrounding weapons and shouted:
"Do you also understand the necessity of our cooperation?"

No one answered him; only the chiselman stood to the side, patting his left wrist with his right hand and smiling in support.

Ricky stared at the new guest with a serious expression, remaining silent for a long time.

Russell coughed impatiently, urging her on.

“You have a good way with words,” Ricky nodded, and said casually, “You don’t look like someone from Shadow Shield.”

"Vida...who exactly are you?"

Russell paused for a moment, then did not reply.

But the masked man beside Ricky spoke up.

"I remembered."

The masked man glanced sideways at Russell and sneered, "Clay, you just said that this guy's surname seems to come from a small family under the jurisdiction of Dragonsky City?"

Clay snorted in response.

Ricky turned to his companion.

The masked man said in a low voice, "Six years ago, King Nuen appointed a low-ranking nobleman with a good reputation as Exter's envoy to the Star Kingdom and into the Palace of Restoration to seek justice for Prince Moral, who died in a foreign land."

“The envoy’s name is exactly the same as this guy’s.”

At that moment, Russell was slightly startled!
But he wasn't the only one who seemed flustered.

On the other side of the tavern, Thales hid his surprise with a low cough, while Quick Rope beside him looked aggrieved, as if to say, "Why is it me again?"

Thales remembered.

He, Thales Star, and Russell Vida.

This is indeed not the first time we've met.

so……

Thales stared blankly at Russell, then at the drill bit.

Exter, the Shield of Shadows.

Those who are here today are all "old friends" from six years ago.

The only clue that could connect the two of them...

"King Nuen and King Chaman entrusted you with important responsibilities at the same time, but you failed."

“Tell me, Baron Vida.”

The masked man spoke disdainfully: "For the people of the North, such a utterly disgraceful mission must be very troubling for you?"

Russell Vida's face immediately turned ashen.

Chisel coughed and stepped in to smooth things over: "Could we...?"

But Russell interrupted him.

"I do not deny my failures."

The former Exter clenched his fist and said solemnly, "That is indeed a stain on my life."

His voice trembled slightly:

"And I paid the price: I am no longer a baron."

The masked man scoffed and shook his head.

"I suspect that Dragon Sky City didn't strip you of your title without reason? And Black Sand Territory can't offer you any compensation?"

The masked man slowly walked up to Russell and looked down into his eyes.

"After all, no one likes a traitor who is outwardly loyal to Dragon Sky City but secretly colludes with Black Sand Territory."

he said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Russell suddenly looked up!
The former envoy glared angrily at the masked man.

But the masked man seemed oblivious and continued to chuckle, "So you can only come to a foreign land to handle some shady business."

Russell clenched his fist tighter and tighter.

Ricky and Clay watched this scene calmly, but Chip frowned.

“A shadow assassin who betrayed the Shadow Master, and a northern nobleman who betrayed the late king,” the masked man continued sarcastically, “betrayer plus betrayer, what a perfect combination.”

Russell snorted heavily.

"It's not your place to judge me, mercenary."

He gritted his teeth and glanced at the blood-soaked horns in the tavern.

“According to this logic…” Russell said angrily, “Those of us here tonight, whichever side we’re on, are all shameful traitors.”

"In the end, you are nothing but traitors to the Tower of the End!"

The words have not yet fallen.

"Clang!" "Bang!"

More than one sound of weapons being drawn rang out in that instant!

Marina already had two swords in her hands, and Sonny gritted his teeth and drew his axe, while more mercenaries stepped forward in unison, menacingly approaching the rude messenger.

The tavern was instantly filled with a murderous aura.

Thiel, overwhelmed by a strong sense of unease, forcefully suppressed the urge to reach for his weapon.

"Take it easy, everyone!"

The sound of chisels rang out among the mercenaries, whose faces were filled with murderous intent:
"We didn't come here to fight."

At that tense moment, Ricky simply raised his right hand, as if it were commonplace.

He gently shook his hand. The mercenaries, still resentful, obeyed his orders and sheathed their weapons, returning to their original positions.

His gaze toward Russell grew increasingly hostile.

"I understand."

“A disgraced nobleman, whose glory has faded but who is still resentful and can only do insignificant tasks on the border,” Ricky said calmly, “want to win back his master’s trust with a rare achievement.”

Russell took a deep breath, seemingly reluctant to admit the truth.

"So, Russell Vida, you represent Chaman I."

"Ext's King of Phage-Killing"

Ricky's tone was slightly serious.

His words caused quite a stir among the mercenaries, who whispered amongst themselves, their shock evident in their expressions.

Thales felt the rope beside him tremble.

and many more.

Thales instinctively sensed something was amiss.

Something seems off?

Russell was King Chaman's envoy, and his informant was Dean.

Dean discovered Thales' trail and notified Russell.

Russell sensed something was wrong from Dean's absence and wanted to salvage the situation.
wrong.

There must be something wrong!

Ricky sized up Russell and said, "Is your king trying to win us over?"

Russell raised his head, displaying a faint air of arrogance.

“If you can cooperate with us,” Russell said softly, “and return to Exter together with valuable spoils, proving yourselves to be a capable army, His Majesty will certainly not be stingy with his rewards and gifts.”

Ricky raised his eyebrows, seemingly somewhat surprised.

But soon, he exchanged a glance with Clay and the masked man, and they all burst out laughing.

The mercenaries also laughed.

Amid the laughter, Russell's expression grew increasingly tense.

Finally, the swords of calamity had their fill of laughter.

“Qianzi, no wonder you have the confidence to do these underhanded things behind Teng’s back.”

“You and your Shadow Shield,” Ricky shook his head and sighed, “when did you start associating with that cold-blooded king who murdered his own brother?”

When did they get together?

Thales suddenly remembered the scene he had witnessed six years ago when he and Selma were in the carriage in Lombard: the Grand Duke of Black Sands talking face to face with the skewer.

Russell frowned deeply.

But the chisel-wielder beside him was all smiles, showing no sign of being offended.

“As I said, I can do more than just provide you with the means to break you out of prison,” Qianzi raised his hands, turned to face everyone in the tavern, and let them see his smile:
"It can also provide you with a way to escape the threat of the stars—and perhaps it will be your choice to seek refuge in the future, so that there will be no more hiding or concealment, no more hiding or fleeing, no more fear or worry."

The mercenaries began whispering again.

Ricky murmured, repeating, "Entrustment, protection?"

The chisel nodded.

Russell, standing to the side, solemnly straightened his clothes.

“Once it’s done,” Russell said seriously.
“I promise you that there will be a place for you under His Majesty’s command, and with Exter’s protection and support, you will have no need to fear the threats and retaliations of the Star Kingdom—no matter how troublesome they may be.”

Ricky pondered for a moment.

"The premise is that we must submit to him and become Chaman Lumba's watchdog and sheepdog?"

He stared straight at the chisel, his smile still on, but his eyes revealed an undisguised chill.

"Tell me, Chisel, what price did you sell yourself and the Shadow Shield for?"

These words were so blunt that even someone as thick-skinned as Qianzi was momentarily stunned.

But Chisel quickly realized what was happening, coughed lightly, and rubbed his hands together.

"This has nothing to do with price, but with market and demand."

With a smile, Qianzi, like a professional businessman, began to recount: "Eighteen years ago, Teng claimed he wanted to create a suitable environment for the Shadow Shield to survive, so he orchestrated that assassination that shocked the world."

The masked man scoffed dismissively.

Thales clenched his fist.

Since he embarked on his path to becoming a prince, numerous signs have indicated that the assassinations by the Starry Sky royal family during the Bloody Year were shrouded in mystery, deeply intertwined, and had a profound impact on the fate of many.

And the source of that assassination attempt...

right in front of you.

"But Teng made a mistake."

The drill bit cut through the tunnel with unwavering precision.

"The best time for us assassins is not a chaotic world of famine and death, nor a peaceful and prosperous era," he raised his voice, his face serious, "but a moderate era where peace and conflict alternate, opportunities and dangers coexist, and employers and objectives are intertwined."

Ricky frowned.

“As everyone knows, we are assassins, brave warriors who take risks and face death without fear,” Chisel said calmly. “And you are mercenaries, or swordsmen who wield swords for others, or sword dealers—whatever you want to call yourself.”

The mercenaries looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Assassins and mercenaries, setting everything else aside, we both make a living by using our skills, working for others to maintain our normal operations—but do you think, ultimately, what sustains our survival?"

"Money, desire, hatred, enmity, ideals, future, hope, or love and justice?"

Chisel's words caused many mercenaries to look strange, but many more began to ponder silently.

But the chisel immediately turned around and spoke decisively:
"neither!"

“What truly sustains our survival,” he said with unusual coldness, “is the demands that call upon us to act.”

The chiselman spoke sternly and in a deep voice:

"It is power."

He stretched out his right hand and slowly clenched it in mid-air.

"Power, that is the foundation upon which we live, just as war is to heroes and bones are to generals."

Ricky's expression grew increasingly serious.

The skewer spun around once, as if trying to convince everyone in the tavern:

“Those without power want to seize power, and those with power want to expand and centralize power. So they have come to us, either by hiring or bribing us, to fill the power vacuum or consume excessive power through unconventional means.”

"And us? We are a group of ferocious beasts that feed on power, seeking survival in the ambitions and grand plans of rebels or rulers—whether you or us, whether assassins or mercenaries, we are born to live in the cracks of power."

Thales listened silently to the assassin's philosophy.

Clay frowned, while the masked man spat out a more straightforward "Pah!"

“Teng may be a madman. His arrogance and overestimation of his abilities ultimately brought about his own demise,” Qianzi continued, unmoved. “But his initial intention in persuading us was correct: we, the Shadow Shield, need an era suitable for our survival, so we should actively create it, rather than waiting for the era to eliminate us.”

"What we really need is the power's need for us—a powerful power that still needs us; that's what guarantees our survival."

The chisel turned again, facing the three with the sword of calamity, its eyes gleaming with an unusual fervor:

"Therefore we need such a power, a ruler who simultaneously possesses the state and the army, the land and the people, to purchase and employ our services and maintain our existence."

"But he can't be too strong, too strong to try to control us, to try to annex us, like the Star Kingdom controls the Secret Society; nor can he be too weak, too weak to support us, to protect us, like the pitiful Sparrow Tail Guard of the Duchy of Anrenzo."

Chisel held up a finger, nodded with a smirk: "This is the secret to the evergreen status of assassins and mercenaries."

The assassin finished his speech, but the mercenaries looked at him suspiciously.

"So, this is the power you've brought us? A king who murders his own parents?" Ricky raised an eyebrow.

Chiselhead let out a helpless sigh.

"Thanks to Teng, the Star Kingdom is now our destined enemy, and Star Kingdom is recovering and rising again. This is not good news for us. Under these circumstances, I guess we don't have many options left."

The chisel gave a mysterious smile, as if it had remembered something:
“And I must say, His Majesty Chaman is a very special king.”

"Moreover, King Charman I fits our criteria perfectly: he is powerful and capable, having recently completed the purge of Black Sand Territory, making him the most authoritative lord in Exter; secondly, Exter is embroiled in internal strife, and although he is gaining momentum, he is also facing challenges, with the Grand Duke eager to seize power, external enemies eyeing him covetously, and internal disputes difficult to resolve, while King Charman's ambition unfortunately encompasses the entire world—he will need us."

As he spoke, he exchanged a glance with Russell, who nodded in agreement.

"Have the doubts been resolved?" Russell asked calmly. "By the way, all of the above is predicated on the premise that we can live up to expectations and recapture the target today."

But Ricky clearly had a different opinion.

"Is power the foundation upon which we live?"

He rubbed his chin: "An interesting way of putting it."

"But you only told me half the story, chisel."

He waved his hand, indicating that he was all ears.

Russell frowned, seemingly annoyed by the group's lack of cooperation.

Ricky leaned forward, pointing his index finger at Russell.

“A king who murders his own parents, or any powerful force, will slowly seize our throats as they grow stronger, and once they are fully powerful, they will leave us with few options,” his gaze slowly focused:
“He will turn you into secret chambers and esoteric departments for spreading gossip, and us into a guard of honor and royal guards, if you don’t want to…”

The masked man snorted angrily and crossed his arms.

“Furthermore, once Chaman Rumba becomes powerful enough to guarantee stability in one region, prosperity in one country, and peace for a lifetime…” Ricky sneered, “As you said, Chip, a peaceful and prosperous era is not suitable for assassins.”

The chisel smiled without saying a word, while Russell remained motionless.

“So, what you want isn’t loyalty or dependence,” Ricky’s tone shifted abruptly, sending a chill down his spine:

"It is parasitic."

The smile on the chisel froze on his face.

"You're not thinking about dependence or belonging, but rather about parasitizing King Chaman like a leech, serving him while using his power to strengthen yourself and using his shadow to cover yourself."

Ricky cuts straight to the heart, hitting the nail on the head:

"And when he becomes strong enough to escape your control, when the world's confusion and lifelessness are about to be broken by the growth of power, it will be time to abandon him, use the blades and claws he forged for you to deal with him, secretly help his opponents, join his enemies, find a new host for yourself, and always keep yourself in the cracks of power."

Even Russell's expression turned ugly.

"And so, parasitize, grow, move, parasitize again, grow again, repeating your cycle over and over, coexisting with power, standing alongside conflict—where there is power, there is the shadowy figure."

The masked man gave a soft hum in approval.

“Watch out, Baron Vida,” Ricky said coldly.

"The blood leeches will also turn on you if they suck too much blood."

His tone made both Chip and Russell look serious.

Ricky stared at Russell, who stood with his hands behind his back and his brows furrowed.

A few seconds later, Ricky spoke again.

"However……"

"Tonight, we can cooperate, whether the target is the prison of bones or that prince."

(End of this chapter)