Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 399 Inside
At that moment, both Qianzi and Russell raised their eyebrows, exchanged a glance, and could not hide their surprise.

This guy was just...

Ricky raised another finger:
"But you have to understand, this is just a practical consideration—whichever side achieves its goal first, the other side will be in trouble, so we have no choice but to cooperate."

He stared silently at the drill bit, then at Russell.

"Besides, this doesn't mean we're on your pirate ship. Whether it's me or my brothers, the inheritors outside the tower have their own creed and principles, and their own methods of survival. We don't accept any bullshit theories about relying on power. If Rumba or you think you can use our grudges with the Stars to coerce us into taking sides..."

Ricky's tone turned cold:
"Then you've made a mistake."

The masked man snorted, "You're very wrong."

The lights in the tavern flickered again.

This made Ricky's expression particularly serious.

Chisel took a deep breath and smiled broadly: "I guess this counts as 'a pleasant collaboration'?"

Ricky stared at him for a long time before finally managing a smile:

"That's it."

The next second, the mercenaries all breathed a sigh of relief and regained their energy.

It seemed the leader's words had enlivened the atmosphere.

“Then let’s get started,” Chisel said, beaming. “Let’s start with that prince.”

In that instant, Thales knew he was in trouble.

The Shield of Shadows, the Sword of Calamity, and King Chaman—the three forces have formed an alliance.

The target is... himself.

This is really bad.

In particular, someone was sitting right under their noses.

He cried out to heaven but received no response, and kowtowed to earth but received no answer.

In the tavern, the three parties, who had been at odds with each other, sat down again to discuss their plans.

“So, you want to find a prince you once had in your grasp, but who has now slipped out of your control,” Ricky sighed. “Is it really that hard?”

Russell snorted angrily.

"Is it that difficult?" the former Baron Exeter repeated sarcastically.

"For more than three months..."

Russell clenched his fists in frustration:

"For that wretched prince, the Dark Chamber and the Secret Bureau fought fiercely on the border, resulting in countless deaths and injuries."

"His Majesty Chaman's forces suffered heavy losses both inside and outside the country, and were utterly humiliated and in a sorry state."

"From Longxiao City and Qiyuan City to the Great Desert, chaos reigned everywhere, with soldiers fighting and horses galloping."

"Even the Shadow Shield suffered heavy losses. They even had a safe outpost in the desert that was destroyed by orcs that appeared out of nowhere."

Upon hearing this, the chisel gave a wry smile.

Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

For more than three months...

Russell crossed his arms and asked with ill intent, "Now, do you still think it's 'that difficult'?"

Ricky snorted and looked at Clay and the masked man.

“What we want is the prison of bones, or rather, the people imprisoned there,” the masked man said calmly. “In terms of timing, we expect to launch it at dawn, and our people will enter the prison with ‘my family’ supply trucks.”

The tavern owner, Tampa, lay sprawled on the table, his face contorted in a mournful expression.

“Great, let’s see what we can do…” Chisel scratched his chin.

“No,” Russell said decisively, rejecting the plan.

“That prince, Thales Star, has not been found yet, and once you break into the Bone Prison, it will alert the camp.”

Thales inwardly groaned, but he had no choice but to brace himself and listen carefully to their discussion, trying to find an opportunity.

“You must postpone your operation, by a day or two,” Russell said through gritted teeth.
"Until we find the prince's whereabouts, we must make a meticulous plan, preferably cooperating with each other and acting in sequence."

But on the side of the sword of calamity, Clay shook his head.

“Impossible,” Clay said firmly. “We’re already on the verge of action, we have to set off at dawn—unless we can force this boss to run the business for another day as if nothing happened?”

Tampa jumped, then quickly interjected, "Excuse me, I'm fine with this, I can definitely act well, as long as you release me afterwards..."

But Russell interrupted him.

“Prince Thales must be sent to Black Sand Territory, or all talk is meaningless.” He was very firm on this point.

Clay tried to speak again, but the drill spoke.

"Everyone..."

“If we are to cooperate, then we must be considerate of each other,” the representative of Shadow Shield advised both sides in a gentle tone. “Especially since there is still a long time until dawn, I think we will soon have news of the prince.”

Ricky's expression hardened.

"How to say?"

Chisel revealed a sly smile: "We have informants. If the Baki camp finds out the prince's whereabouts, we'll know immediately too."

"Inside?" Ricky frowned.
“You’d better be more specific. We don’t want to gamble such a big operation on vague promises.”

Chisel exhaled and looked at the mercenaries around the tavern.

But Ricky had no intention of withdrawing his men.

Finally, the chiselman could only raise his eyebrows, his gaze mysterious, and lower his voice to reveal the secret:
“We have eyes and ears in there—Williams’ ‘freak squad’.”

Upon hearing this, everyone around was taken aback.

Even Thales was startled.

"Those 'freaks' with superpowers who came out of the Prison of Bones?"

The masked man's tone was full of doubt: "Those scum...are they reliable?"

Chisel shrugged.

"Of course it's reliable. Our center is one of Williams' most trusted captains, so there are no issues with our communication channels."

Ricky raised an eyebrow: "Williams' men... can you guarantee his loyalty?"

He took two steps and revealed a sinister smile.

"In fact, we don't need his loyalty, because he still needs us to make a fortune to treat his wife and daughters' genetic diseases—we only need his loyalty to his family."

"You're using this to blackmail him?"

Russell frowned and said, "Once he gets out of control..."

The drill bit extended a finger and waved it in the air.

“Of course, that’s not all,” Qianzi said coldly. “You know, it’s also very expensive for us to secretly poison his wife and daughters regularly.”

The meaning behind those words sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"Despicable," the masked man remarked disdainfully.

The chisel tiptoed slightly.

“Thank you,” he said without any shame, “it’s a compliment to us.”

Thales sighed inwardly: they spoke of everything from the details of the plan to the execution without any concealment...

This means...

"They're not going to let these innocent people leave." Thales glanced at the innocent-looking Quick Rope beside him and shook his head.

Perhaps, they weren't so innocent after all.

Ricky coughed, drawing everyone's attention.

"So, you're relying on this to wait for news from the prince?"

The chisel blinked.

Ricky looked at him and smiled.

"Okay, we have another inside man."

Chiselhead's eyes lit up: "Oh?"

“More reliable than yours,” Ricky said, glancing at the masked man beside him.
"A Star Noble, a rising star under the Earl of Wingburg, skilled in combat, leading troops independently, and deeply trusted."

Chisel's expression changed.

“Wow, a new nobleman,” he took a deep breath, unable to hide his excitement: “After the Bloody Years… that’s something we can’t get our hands on.”

But Chisel then cautiously pressed further: "Excuse my bluntness, but if he is a Starman, then his reliability and loyalty..."

This time, Marina stepped forward.

She glanced at the chisel with her usual disdain.

"There is no need to doubt his loyalty."

“That’s not necessarily true,” Chisel scoffed. “I just revealed our secret, and perhaps your side also needs…”

Before he could finish speaking, Marina angrily interrupted, "No need!"

The woman in red, wielding two swords, gritted her teeth and said:
“He was my fiancé… or at least he used to be.”

The chisel's eyes suddenly widened.

Even Thales was taken aback.

and many more.

fiancé.

If Marina is the fiancée of some Star Noble, then that means...

But before he could think it through, the masked man spoke in a cold voice: "Is this enough?"

"Love and marriage—this is far more reliable than the despicable means you use to control people's hearts."

Chisel seemed to understand and nodded.

"May I ask your name?"

Marina paused slightly.

She looked at Ricky.

“You have nothing to hide about your past, good girl,” Ricky nodded at him, giving him a kind smile.

"You have been reborn and are living only for yourself."

Marina seemed to draw strength from the other person's words; she took a deep breath, turned her head, and stood tall with her chest out.

“I am Marina,” the girl in red exuded an unfamiliar seriousness at this moment: “Marina Norfolk.”

Thales frowned, unfamiliar with the surname.

But others are different.

“Wait, Norfolk, that surname…” Chisel frowned, as if remembering something.

He won't be confused for long.

“Eighteen years ago, you despicably assassinated Duke Starlake, John Starshine, in Sodara City,” Marina trembled, gripping her twin swords tightly, staring at the shadowy assassin before her, and coldly revealed the truth: “Then you framed his bodyguard, my uncle, Cypher Norfolk.”

John Shining Star!

Thales trembled slightly.

That is……

Star God of War.

The images of those connected to him—the fortress flower and the veteran Jenard—appeared before his eyes.

Chisel looked at the girl in red in disbelief.

"Because of this heinous crime, my grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, brother... almost everyone in the Norfolk family was executed that year by the newly crowned King Catherine V."

Marina's voice trembled.

But she immediately gritted her teeth and, with unimaginable tenacity, forced out the following words: "Except for me."

"The Last Norfolk".

The tavern fell silent for a moment.

With an unspeakable expression, the chisel nodded:

"Now I know why you are so angry with me."

Sonny patted Marina on the shoulder and pulled her aside as she trembled.

The chisel fell silent, and Russell looked around, also remaining silent.

In the tavern, only the breathing of the mercenaries could be heard for a moment.

Ricky sighed.

“Very good, so now we have two informants. I’ll give the orders right away.” He waved his hand, and the masked man nodded.

"But before that..."

Ricky changed the subject.

His gaze followed the change in his tone.

"What a coincidence..."

The next second, Ricky's eyes shifted mysteriously.

He shifted everyone's attention to the two guests who hadn't spoken for a while.

"Those two 'Dant's Greatswords' over there, having listened in for so long, shouldn't they be starting to react by now?"

At that moment, Thales was jolted awake!
Quick rope also stiffened.

Dante's greatsword.

It’s over.

He still remembers!

Inside the tavern, Chip squinted at them with a furtive glance, Russell frowned and scrutinized the two mercilessly, Clay's observation was meticulous and cautious, and the masked man's eyes emitted a chilling light that sent shivers down Thales' spine.

The two princes knew that their good fortune had passed.

From that moment on, the two could no longer pretend to be dead.

So they stiffly straightened up and slowly, inch by inch, turned toward Ricky.

It's like having rusty old gears inside your body.

"Don't be nervous, I was just asking, but..."

Ricky pointed two fingers at the two men and said casually, "You two didn't just happen to be here by chance, did you?"

(End of this chapter)