Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 403 H·N·Brilliant Star
I don't know how much time passed, but the suffocating silence in the tavern only began to dissipate slightly when an oil lamp on the wall started to flicker.

“Damn it, Prince…” Tampa sighed in anguish, “This… why am I having such bad luck today…”

"Oh no, this isn't a good sign..." Quick Rope muttered to himself, looking down.

“You…” This was Marina, staring wide-eyed at Thales, her hand pressed tightly against the hilt of her sword.

The mercenaries began to whisper among themselves.

"Quiet."

Clay gave the order calmly, his gaze never leaving Thales, his longsword still pressed against Dean's chest.

Thales let go of all his worries, leaned back in his chair with a sigh of relief, and faced the gazes of everyone with composure.

What else can be done now that things have come to this?

Instead, let's think about what to do next...

"You really think you can smuggle the spoils out right under our noses, Dean?"

Russell Vida, the former envoy of the Exter people who was no longer a baron, snorted, glanced at Thales, and said coldly to Dean, "Especially such a large portion?"

Dean curled his lip in disdain: "You're just lucky, the king's lackey."

Russell returned his gaze with a disdainful smile.

Ricky slowly walked forward, stood in front of Thales, and looked directly into Thales' eyes.

"Thales Star?"

Ricky curled the corners of his mouth, his gaze on Thales slightly unfocused: "You really surprised me."

In that instant, his gaze turned piercing:
"Just like other shining stars."

Thales was somewhat taken aback.

Whether it was Nicolai, Monty, Dean, or even Chip and Russell just now, when they sized up Thales, they often looked at him as if he were prey or valuable treasure.

Strangely, Ricky's gaze towards him didn't carry that meaning at all; instead, it held a slight hint of bewilderment.

It's like seeing another person through Thales.

But Thales, caught in a dangerous situation, couldn't think about that anymore; he was carefully considering his chance.

Thales coughed first, then took a deep breath: "You too, Sword of Calamity."

"Choosing the most difficult path was truly beyond my expectations."

Ricky looked away, smiled, and turned around, his shadow swaying in the lamplight.

"Looks like you've finished your mission ahead of schedule, Drill," Ricky glanced sideways at Drill in the distance. "Easier than I thought—maybe too easy?"

He bowed respectfully from afar, his face beaming with smiles.

"Thanks to everyone."

“Stop wasting time,” Russell interrupted them decisively. “This is enemy territory, and we need to make evacuation arrangements.”

"You're intercepting the secret room..." Dean wanted to say something, but Clay slightly turned his wrist, the menacing blade silencing the secret room agent's words.

Ricky waved as he walked back, and Clay and the masked man nodded to him.

Thales observed their interaction, saw Ricky's gestures, and knew he could no longer remain silent.

“I don’t understand, Ricky,” Thales cleared his throat and shouted at Ricky’s retreating back, “I’ve heard about you from a servant, a group of swordsmen determined to overthrow the Tower of the End, haven’t I?”

Ricky paused.

“Of course, you’ve heard,” came a cold laugh from Krassus, the Sword of Calamity:

"But you don't know that."

Thales gave a soft hum.

"does it worth?"

The prince stood up from his seat, and the mercenaries beside him unconsciously shifted into combat stances until Ricky waved them away.

"The Prison of Bones... Is it worth you giving up everything and going against the entire Star Kingdom? Even to the point of cooperating with these people to kidnap me and make yourself the mortal enemy of the Star Kingdom?" Thales said in a deep voice.

Russell frowned from a distance.

"Stop wasting your breath on him, this prince is a master of instigation..."

But Ricky raised a hand to silence the Exter man.

The leader of the Blade of Calamity turned around and approached Thales step by step.

Compared to the others' sharp aura, which was either murderous or unapproachable, the leader of the Sword of Calamity had a gentle gaze and calm demeanor. He was not particularly aggressive, but for some reason, there seemed to be a slowly accumulating vortex around him. With each step he took, it gradually built up, and wherever his footsteps went, Thales's breath would involuntarily freeze.

"As I said, you don't know."

He bent down and looked Thales straight into his eyes: "You don't know what we want."

Thales gritted his teeth and raised his finger.

"Listen, whatever you want, or whoever you want to rescue from the Prison of Bones, I can grant your wish, with just a small order..."

The prince stepped forward and said firmly, "Don't forget, I am the prince of the stars, the heir to the kingdom. This is your best and safest opportunity, as long as..."

But Ricky just smiled mysteriously and shook his head.

But the masked man behind him spoke in a low voice: "You can't."

His tone was cold:
"Unless you are the king."

The masked man's tone carried an overwhelming sense of negativity, as if Thales were his enemy, which startled the prince.

“But I will be eventually,” Thales snapped out of his reverie, desperately seizing the opportunity:

"And you are ruining this opportunity..."

Ricky suddenly spoke, interrupting him.

“I’ve heard another star say that I will become king,” Ricky said casually. “Guess what happened to him?”

Thales was taken aback for a second by these words.

“Even if you do become king, Thales Star,” Ricky straightened up, looking down at Thales, “by then, everything will be over, both for us…”

His eyes dimmed slightly.

"still you."

"In comparison, I prefer to choose the present moment."

The melancholy in his tone made Thales think deeply.

Ricky shook his head.

"Tie them up and pack them up to take away." The leader of the Sword of Calamity regained his previous calm and ruthlessness.

This made Thales nervous!
Oops.

How to do?
Ricky glanced at the rope next to Thales and frowned. "As for the other person..."

Quick Rope immediately sat up straight, pointing at Thales with a look of fear and innocence: "No, no, no..."

"I swear, he paid me to do all this, I really have nothing to do with this person—"

What? Thales raised an eyebrow.

Ricky snorted and said, "Very well, then kill him."

What? Quick Rope's throat seemed to be instantly choked, and he froze on the spot along with his incredulous expression.

The two mercenaries behind Quick Rope drew their weapons, ready to step forward.

Dean frowned.

"Really, really nothing..." Kaisen looked at this person, then at that person, clenching the word "relationship" tightly in his mouth, repeating mechanically and in shock, "No, no, nothing..."

The next second, the dazed Kaisen seemed to have made up his mind. He gritted his teeth, raised his voice, and shouted out the words that were still being stammered: "—There is really no possibility of us being apart!"

Amidst the strange looks from the crowd, Kaisen swung his arm, looking righteous and awe-inspiring.

“I, Wyatt Cassel, must stay by Prince Thales’ side!” He stood in front of Thales and shouted resolutely under the latter’s dumbfounded gaze.

Quick Rope bravely raised his arm, pointing to the people around him, his tone courageous and fearless, as if facing death:

"I swear in the name of my father, Gilbert Cassel, you will never be able to separate me from the prince!"

Dean stared at him in disbelief, as if he were meeting a newcomer to the team for the first time.

Thales' face twitched.

"Kaso?"

Russell's expression shifted slightly, and he said suspiciously:

"Are you the son of the Star Fox?"

Kuaishou, who was initially panicked, was overjoyed upon hearing this.

But he kept a straight face, completely ignoring the strange looks from Thales and Dean, and finished speaking despite everyone's questions:

"Exactly!"

Quick Rope said with an air of righteous indignation, "Do you miss him, or do you miss the Fortress Treaty? You forgetful northerners?"

Thales, standing to the side, could only cover his forehead and sigh deeply.

Russell stared at the rope for a long time before finally breaking into a smile.

"very good."

“Then let’s tie up this young master Cassel as well,” Exter’s former diplomatic envoy sneered.

"It will be very useful."

Thales noticed that the person next to him, Quick Rope, secretly breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“Well done, dear Wyatt Castle, I can’t help but applaud you,” Thales said sarcastically without moving his lips. “And the next step?”

Marina and Sonny gestured, and several mercenaries immediately followed. Clay sheathed his sword and stepped back, allowing these men to approach Thales and his companions.

"Next step?"

Quick Rope raised an eyebrow: "We...Dean, do you have any other secret weapons?"

“No matter what weapons I have,” Dean said sarcastically in a low voice, suppressing his anger as he watched the enemies getting closer, “they’re useless after being strangled and stuffed into a sack.”

Quick Rope smiled slightly, his expression serious, to show his understanding.

Thales listened to their question and answer and sighed.

So, all that's left is...

"Wait a moment."

Thales raised his hand, blocking the mercenaries' path.

“If I am truly that important, Ricky,” Prince Star raised his head, stepped forward, and shouted at Ricky, “then are you going to hand me over to the Shield of Shadows, or to King Charman?”

Thales glanced at the drill bit, then at Russell:

"For the sake of your upcoming operations, perhaps you should try to curry favor with the Shadow Shield for now, right?"

"To prevent them from tripping you up?"

Ricky frowned at him.

Russell snorted angrily, but the chisel beside him shook his head with a smile, silencing the former's words.

“Your Highness, there’s no need to worry. We have an agreement,” Chisel spread his hands in the distance, as if he could see through Thales’s sinister intentions. “You will be staying at our branch for a while under our careful protection. After we clear up some misunderstandings, we will safely send you back to Exter…”

Thales's nerves slowly tightened.

But right now.

“No,” Ricky raised his eyes, broke the chisel, and said coldly, “This prince will be guarded by us.”

These words seemed to freeze the entire atmosphere. Thales let out a breath.

He achieved his goal.

The chisel's eyes narrowed.

"what?"

Ricky remained expressionless, calmly facing the chisel's question as if the other party had not spoken.

The chisel gave a puzzled smile: "No, I don't understand?"

Russell also looked surprised.

“He’s made himself clear enough,” the masked man behind Ricky said bluntly. “The prince must remain in our hands until we achieve our objective.”

Chisel raised his eyebrows, seemingly somewhat surprised.

“But this prince is our target.” He pointed at Thales, still smiling.

Ricky shook his head: "But it's not ours."

Chip and Russell exchanged a glance, their expressions changing simultaneously.

“That prince is part of our terms, a mercenary.” Russell maintained his composure, but even Quick Rope could tell he was trying hard to suppress his emotions: “If we get him, we’ll help you break into the Bone Prison.”

Ricky exchanged a glance with Clay and the masked man, and they all laughed.

"But he's here now."

“Your goal is within reach, but our mission is far from over,” Ricky said calmly, a serious look in his eyes. “How do I know that you and your people outside will keep your promises and fulfill the agreement?”

He glanced at the chisel and Russell:

"How do I know that you won't betray us after we've served our purpose, turn your backs on us, and use us as bait to lure the enemy away and escape, selling us out to the entire camp of Starfolk?"

Russell, no longer caring about his image, strode forward, glaring at Ricky.

“You shouldn’t doubt Exter’s promises,” the Exter man said coldly.

But as if it were prepared for him, the masked man stepped forward at the opportune moment, blocking Russell's path.

The mercenaries tensed up again, subtly shifting their positions to block the two guests' path.

"Based on the character of a king who murdered his own parents?" the masked man replied hostilely. "Don't overestimate yourselves, Exter people."

Russell glanced around, his eyes turning cold: "Aha, I smell the stench of the Star People."

Ricky clapped his hands lightly, stopping the minor conflict.

“I don’t doubt your promise, Baron Vida,” Ricky said calmly, looking directly at the complex expression on Chip’s face. “But I don’t trust him.”

"I don't trust Teng's deputy, Teng's student."

"I don't believe anyone would dare to betray even Teng."

Chisel's expression froze slightly.

"So this prince will remain in our hands and be guarded by us until you complete the part of the cooperation that was agreed upon."

"Until we get what we want."

Russell turned around and frowned as he glanced at the silent chisel.

He took a breath and forced a smile.

"You know..."

"Tonight, I have hastily gathered so many men and risked returning to the camp to meet with you at all costs to propose cooperation. I am not here to cause trouble or to have a mutually destructive conflict with you."

With a smile that was both amiable and meaningful, he said, "I came here to prevent your plans from conflicting with our goals... so that we could both suffer losses in the event of such a conflict."

Ricky scoffed.

"so?"

“So, esteemed Crassus,” the chisel lowered its head, its tone tightening and its eyes growing colder, “when you hold our goal in your hands but are unwilling to let go, you are wasting my efforts today and destroying the bridge of our cooperation.”

"And it brings about a conflict of goals between us."

"You should know that we still have many resources that can help you—such as the defense of the Bone Prison?"

Ricky's smile slowly faded.

“A threat?” Clay sneered, revealing the hilt of his sword. “Very good, this is how you should be, Shadow.”

The atmosphere in the room became tense again.

"Really? You guys?" Russell gritted his teeth, watching the situation slowly turn against him, and slapped his thigh in frustration: "Oh, please!"

Thales gritted his teeth and observed the situation, thinking about how to add fuel to the fire.

The alliance between the Shield of Shadows and the Blade of Calamity is not so stable. As Chisel said, they each have their own desires and are wary of each other, which is why they have temporarily made peace.

In fact, the former was calculating how to utilize the latter's power, while the latter was constantly wary of the former's backlash.

As long as the foundation of their cooperation is dismantled...

Ricky shook his head.

"A bridge for cooperation?"

“On the contrary, the chisel, I’m reinforcing it,” Ricky stared at him intently.
"Just waiting for your next brick."

"To ensure that our cooperation does not collapse due to one side of the bridge being too heavy."

He patted the table.

The next second, the mercenaries around, including those by the second-floor railing, all stood up, staring coldly at the chisel.

The chiselman frowned.

He reached into his robe and gripped a coded whistle.

He knew that as soon as he blew it, the assassins of the Shadow Shield would sneak in from the weak points around the tavern.

but……

As he looked around at the mercenaries standing shoulder to shoulder, his expression grew increasingly grim.

Damn.

The air grew increasingly oppressive, and the two leaders of the Shadow Shield and the Blade of Calamity exchanged countless glances.

Finally, amidst unspeakable tension, Chisel let out a breath.

“You always like to keep the initiative in your hands, don’t you?” He put on a friendly smile again as he faced Ricky.

Ricky gave a soft hum and didn't reply.

The chisel blinked and raised its hand, seemingly helpless.

“I understand, Your Excellency Crassus, if that’s the case…”

He lowered his head, seemingly hesitating for a second.

The next second, amidst everyone's worried, wary, questioning, or fearful gazes, Qianzi raised his head, his smile radiant.

"I can vouch for you."

Ricky squinted: "A guarantee?"

With a smile, Qianzi nodded and stretched his hand to his chest: "I guarantee that my men will not ruin your plans once they have the honor of inviting Prince Thales."

He pulled out a short knife!

Upon seeing the movement of the chisel, the mercenaries tensed up and gripped their weapons to guard against a surprise attack.

At that moment, Thales's heart sank as he had thought there was still a chance for things to turn around.

A bad feeling crept into my mind.

But Ricky gently raised his hand to calm his nervous subordinates.

“What did I tell you?” Clay said coldly, Darklight in hand, “They can hide a weapon even in the middle of nowhere.”

With a smile, he flicked his wrist, the blade facing inward, and cut a slit in the robe.

Thales frowned slightly: A mezzanine?

Perhaps to avoid misunderstanding, Qianzi used two fingers to very slowly pull out a neatly folded, yellowish sheet of paper from the lining of the robe.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he smiled and slowly walked forward, putting the knife back into his robe with one hand and gently handing out the paper he was holding to Ricky with the other.

Ricky watched the chisel's movements intently, and then, with equally slow movements, took the paper from the chisel's hand.

"What is this?" he asked, frowning.

The chisel smiled.

"An old letter."

“A letter written to a beloved, expressing heartfelt feelings, sincere and touching,” a rare glimmer appeared in Qianzi’s eyes: “Unfortunately, it will never reach the recipient.”

Almost everyone was stunned and bewildered.

what?
Ricky pursed his lips and turned his attention to the letter.

“Be careful,” the masked man warned coldly, “they are also skilled in using poison.”

Ricky nodded, carefully grasped a corner of the letter, and unfolded it.

From Thales's perspective, it was a rather old piece of animal hide paper, clearly not a cheap item.

As for the contents of the letter, because of the great distance, Thales could only barely make out from the side by using his hellish senses. It was a series of neat and beautiful black cursive characters. Even from just the general outline of the text, one could vaguely see the care and seriousness with which the author wrote it.

letter?
Thales became puzzled.

Ricky glanced at it briefly, then looked up and frowned: "Why?"

As if anticipating the other party's reaction, the chisel remained smiling and patiently bowed.
"Check the signature."

Ricky gave the chisel a deep look, clearly not satisfied with the other party's pretense.

But he still glanced at the letter:

“H·N.…”

Ricky's expression changed.

He looked up, waiting for the other person's reply.

In response to the other party's question, the chisel revealed a smug and mysterious smile.

"Yes."

“H·N·Canxing.” He repeated each letter, his tone ethereal, as if calling forth a distant memory.

Chisel took a deep breath and said softly:

"That's the person who wrote this letter."

"Hyman Knight Star".

"The former fourth prince of the Star Kingdom."

In that instant, only two people reacted: Thales took a deep breath, and the masked man's eyes widened.

But a few seconds later, many people's expressions changed.

All that could be heard was Qianzi's sinister voice: "Eighteen years ago, on that night, I obtained this unsent last letter from him."

The assassin with the Shadow Shield narrowed his eyes, as if savoring a long-lost delicacy:

"Just as I was taking Prince Hyman from the highest tower of the Baki camp..."

"Before I personally pushed it down."

(End of this chapter)