Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 63 Bloodline Ritual

But Thales hadn't finished speaking.

"Since the assassin's target is you... then who wants you dead?"

“Your Grace, think back,” Thales’ voice struck Jann’s heart like a hammer studded with barbs: “What were you doing that day? Who were you meeting? Who knew where you were?”

Jann took a deep breath, remaining expressionless, but the scene from that day kept replaying in his mind.

He saw that Gilbert was among the assassins and, in order to win people's hearts, he helped him.

Those assassins.

That boy.

And then there are those who know he's going there.

Thales said coldly, word by word, "Are they those you thought were your allies? Those who worked together for a better star? Those who promised you a bright future?"

Thales turned his head and sighed: "Yes, among those qualified to sit on the throne, you are the youngest, have the best image, the most popular, and the most likely candidate—is that what they told you too?"

The breathless crowd finally began to make noise.

Everyone in the arena reacted differently to Thales' performance.

Behind Count Karabyan, the young guard officer Cohen stared at the boy in surprise.

Is he really only six or seven years old?

When I was seven years old... never mind, let's not talk about it.

To avoid getting hurt.

But the tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease.

Count Kalabyan turned around and scrutinized Cohen before glancing at Thales.

As Cohen's expression grew increasingly puzzled, the old count's gaze darted back and forth several times.

Finally, the old count looked at Cohen, sighed in disappointment, and then turned to look at Thales.

Cohen, who looked completely innocent, first realized what had happened, then lowered his head in dejection.

Old man, are you serious?!
You can't compare people like that!
"Black Prophet" Morat exhaled softly, looking at Thales with a complex expression.

Previously, it seemed that we had underestimated him.

The infamous head of the secret service whispered to Raphael behind him:

“This child… is truly unexpected… what if he were the king you would serve in the future…”

"The advantage is that you can save yourself a lot of trouble, but the disadvantage is that you can't save yourself any trouble."

Faced with these seemingly contradictory words, Raphael nodded solemnly.

He understood.

King Catherine V looked at his son, his eyes flickering. He turned his head slightly and whispered to Ginny beside him:

"That child, did you learn eloquence and public speaking from Gilbert, or reasoning and observation from you?"

“No,” Jinni looked at the calm boy giving his commentary in the center of the arena and gave a bittersweet smile: “That kid is rather special.”

“It’s rather special,” King Kessel V pondered for a moment, then gave a soft hum, his face showing a somber and complex expression: “Yes.”

"Like his mother."

Ginny's face stiffened.

Kessel's gaze returned to Thales.

"enough!"

Kusder angrily slammed his hammer against the handguard of the stone seat, interrupting Thales. He glared at Kessel, whose eyes held amusement, and said, "Your Majesty, this farce should end... Our main topic is..."

"One-Eyed Dragon of Southrest! Why are you in such a hurry?"

Everyone turned their heads and were surprised to see that the person who spoke was the Duke of the North!

Val coldly looked up: "Would listening to him continue be detrimental to you?"

Kusder was speechless for a moment.

“And you, you old bones of Falkenhausen,” Val’s eyes blazed as he turned to the emaciated, terrifying-looking man, his words sharp and laced with hidden meaning.
"It's quite rare that you didn't gloat or make sarcastic remarks in this situation."

“Thanks for reminding me, I was just about to speak, haha…” Cyril Falkenhausen, a beat late, pointed at Jenn, whose face looked terrible, and burst into laughter.

But only those who knew him best knew that his smile was somewhat forced: "Looks like you've been tricked, you greenhorn!"

“As for you, Duke Cullen, our Prime Minister,” Val looked at the obese duke opposite him and said dismissively, “Still as composed as ever.”

Duke Cullen responded with a simple, honest smile.

Jann clenched his fists, maintaining his last shred of composure, and tried his best not to look at those people.

Those few people.

If, if I die… who among those people will benefit—he couldn’t suppress his doubts and began to consider these things.

“Alright, child,” Jann said weakly, forcing a smile, his face pale, “no matter what you said, there’s no evidence…”

"Your Majesty the Duke!"

Thales looked at the young duke with a cold gaze, deliberately avoiding the topic of "evidence" and intentionally guiding his and his audience's thinking: "What exactly is your position in that group that aspires to the throne?"

“Yes, that doesn’t make sense. Your group has more than one person. If you were to be killed, everyone would be in danger, and the alliance would disintegrate on its own.”

Why would the mastermind behind this assassination attempt on you and sabotage their plans?

“Unless,” Thales sighed again, “there is an even more terrible possibility.”

Jan closed his eyes and gently lowered his head.

He's not a fool.

“That is, everyone else in the group knows that you are destined to be sacrificed,” Thales circled Jann, feigning sympathy, and patted the head of the Iris family on the shoulder:

"Your death is part of the plan—you are the one who was betrayed, the only pawn to be sacrificed."

"That's true. You're young and promising, highly skilled, wealthy, and popular. If you were to ascend the throne, even an elective one, it wouldn't take more than a few years before Kevindir would become another shining royal family, starting to check and balance the lords. And even if we're talking about lifespan, you'd outlive all of them."

"So what difference does it make whether they change the royal family or not?"

"The assassination of the owner of the tricolor iris in the capital will only make the nobles more fearful, the pressure of war will only increase, and His Majesty will face even greater accusations. The conspiracy to force the establishment of an heir may be more successful."

"That crown will be placed on the head of someone they prefer."

Jann's expression was calm, but everyone could tell that his gaze hadn't moved for a long time.

“You were betrayed before you even put on that crown.” Thales shook his head comically like a little adult. “In the end, you’re still too young and made a bad choice of friends.”

“They probably borrowed a lot of your and the Kevin Deer’s resources and prepared for a long time, but whatever they promised you,” Thales walked back to Kessel’s side and coldly said, “they’re not going to deliver on any of it.”

"Please think carefully and reconsider your position. You are a smart person. Whom would you prefer as an ally? Who would be most beneficial for the flourishing of the irises if the king were to be the king?"

Jann didn't speak again, nor did he look at Thales. He just stared intently at the ground in front of him, seemingly particularly interested in the texture of the floor tiles.

At that moment, Thales suddenly turned around.

He called out eerily to the lords seated on the stone throne:
"do not move."

Many lords frowned.

Thales's gaze swept carefully over everyone's face, as if he wouldn't miss a single pore.

He said coldly, "Don't move, you accomplices who betrayed Jenn. Don't turn your heads away, don't look away, look into my eyes... I can smell your guilty conscience and fear in your expressions."

Jann also suddenly raised his head and looked at the lords.

Some lords paused for a moment, their breath caught in their throats!
But the next moment, Thales suddenly relaxed completely.

He spread his hands and said with a grin:
"Don't be nervous."

"I'm just kidding."

Some lords breathed a sigh of relief, and looking at Thales, some gritted their teeth or clenched their fists tightly.

Did he do it on purpose?

“But when you see the example of the iris, you’ll understand,” Thales said, his expression turning serious as he looked at the lords.

"Once the crown prince is extinct, no matter which other powerful or noble family ascends the throne, whether before or after the accession, whether they are weak or strong, the new royal family will eventually become the next target of the lords."

"Without external enemies, you will fight each other on the unbalanced scales of power until the stars are destroyed."

“I don’t care who among you orchestrated this conspiracy or this plan, nor do I care who wants the throne—after all, in the eyes of many, since the extinction of the royal line is a foregone conclusion, they will naturally choose the future that best serves their own interests.”

"But I'm standing here now."

"For the sake of the stars' stability, and for your own benefit."

"The survival of the Starry Sky Royal Family is the stability of the Starry Sky and its greatest hope."

"Everyone, for the sake of everything, please support Canxing and me as steadfastly as your ancestors did."

The murmurs among the crowd grew louder, and many people began to applaud.

As if by coincidence, cheers also came from the square in waves—it was unclear where the guards relayed the message from inside the hall.

Thales didn't look at the lords' expressions; in fact, he preferred to imagine their expressions himself.

Gilbert finally let out a long breath and whispered to Thales, who was walking back:

"Truly...impressive, young sir."

"The iris has lost its threat amidst suspicion and distrust, and the giant antler deer has also lost much of its power."

"But are you so sure those assassins were after the irises?" Gilbert lowered his head and asked quietly.

“Of course I can’t be sure,” Thales smiled at him, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Janne, who was lost in thought in the distance, no longer speaking.
"But he didn't know either, did he?"

“We must focus on the key points – the important thing is not the assassins themselves, but that Janne saw them with his own eyes.”

Feeling the heavy gaze from King Catherine V, Thales, under considerable pressure, struggled to maintain his breathing and said lightly:
"As just now, what matters is not whether my identity can be recognized, but which people are unwilling to recognize my identity."

“I still have to say this: although it was exhilarating, your actions just now were not the way to govern well,” Gilbert could only sigh under Thales’s questioning gaze and whispered, “You will understand later.”

"Enough with the nonsense!"

“This makes no sense!”

Filled with resentment, the one-eyed Duke of Southrest slammed his fist on the stone seat, his oppressive gaze sweeping over the entire room: "Have you all forgotten? Until now, he has not proven his identity!" "His Majesty has been childless for twelve long years, and a six or seven-year-old child suddenly jumps out and claims to be a descendant of the royal family?"

"He even made outrageous remarks at a national affairs conference..."

"Duke of Köst Nanthurst, why are you still so concerned about my identity?" Thales sighed and interrupted him loudly, "Don't you understand? My father has already prepared everything."

Thales gently raised his head and revealed an innocent smile.

"I thought that a hypocrite like you, who is concerned about the country and its people, would be overjoyed at the return of the bloodline of Canxing."

An ominous feeling crept into the one-eyed man's heart.

Just then, the crowd started making noise again.

New people have entered the Hall of Stars.

Thales turned his head, and his eyes lit up.

A graceful and beautiful lady, dressed in a dark sacrificial robe resembling a half-red sun, slowly walked out of the passage forcibly separated by guards, accompanied by a nervous little girl priest.

Many ordinary people knelt down devoutly and bowed their heads in prayer to the woman.

The moment the nobles saw that half-red sun, many of them understood what was going on.

“Very good,” Falkenhausen narrowed his eyes: “The three pillars of kings and nobles, and gods and stars, are all here.”

The moment the Duke of the North saw the newcomer, his pupils contracted sharply, and he couldn't help but lean forward.

“From this moment on, be careful with your words and actions,” Count Kalabyan said solemnly, leaning forward to his wife’s nephew, Count Deler Klomar, who was also in shock. “Things have already slipped out of the lords’ control.”

"Perhaps even the gods are involved."

Amidst the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lisia Arend, the earthly representative of the Sunset Goddess and the High Priestess of the Sunset Temple, gracefully stepped onto the area of ​​the stone throne.

“Li Xiya.” Val Aaron was stunned. His originally dejected expression gradually became complicated after seeing his sister.

So many years have passed...

But the high priest didn't even glance at his own brother, and simply walked forward slowly.

Kusder's face was grim. He tried to exchange a glance with Jan as usual, but found that Jan's eyes were cold and he didn't even look at him.

The one-eyed man felt bitter.

“High Priestess Li Xiya,” King Kessel V rose solemnly, “the Temple of the Sunset, the spokesperson for the goddess.”

"The king's authority, the nobles' oath, and the gods' witness—these are the three most important proofs when the Star Kingdom was founded."

"More than six hundred years later, may the goddess of sunset still witness the continuation of the royal lineage of stars."

The entire hall erupted in commotion once again.

With a blank expression, Li Xiya bowed and nodded slightly.

But she didn't answer immediately; instead, she knelt down, looked up at the sky, and closed her eyes.

Thales looked at the high priest, who didn't seem to like him much, with curiosity.

Is this—communicating with God?
But suddenly, an indescribable feeling overwhelmed Thales, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

A sound like tinnitus suddenly rang out!

"Beep——"

He was startled and forced himself to cover his ears, glancing around nervously.

But no one in the hall, whether noble or commoner, made a sound or showed any impatience.

Is it...

Until the tinnitus disappeared.

Everyone around seemed normal.

It seems he was the only one who heard the tinnitus?

The boy never knew what the gods of this world were like.

but now……

Thales had one more question in his mind.

After a while, Li Xiya gently opened her eyes, stood up and said, "The goddess has agreed, Your Majesty."

Duke Cullen sighed.

He already knew how things would turn out.

Kusder clenched his fists tightly, his single eye gleaming with cold light.

Falkenhaus gave a dry laugh.

Meanwhile, Jenn looked thoughtfully at Tyles, who was the focus of the entire arena.

King Catherine V nodded slightly.

He suddenly grabbed Thales's hand!

It startled the boy!
“Come with me,” Kessel said firmly. “Your bloodline should be seen by everyone on the planet.”

Thales stared in disbelief as King Catherine V led him down the stone platform and toward the terrace overlooking Starscomb Square.

To be honest, he was really not used to it.

Perhaps it's because, deep down, he hasn't yet come to regard this strong man as his father?

The noble lords on the remaining nineteen stone thrones stood up and followed the king and his son to the spacious terrace. Many of the surrounding minor nobles also wanted to follow, but were ruthlessly forced back by the guards' anti-ramming shields.

Thales walked to the edge of the terrace and looked down.

It was afternoon, and the sky was just right.

He immediately held his breath.

people.

So many people!

Crowded with people!

The entire Xingju Plaza was packed with people!

There are at least tens of thousands!

Like ants, they covered the entire ground below his field of vision!
Thales had been to Star Square before; he had stood there and looked up at the magnificent Palace of Renewal.

But he never stood on the terrace of the Hall of Stars at the Palace of Rejuvenation, overlooking the entire Stars Square!

Even Thales, who had lived two lives in his memories, couldn't help but gape at the sight.

Soon, the people in the square noticed two extra people on the terrace.

After confirming that it was the king and his bloodline.

An unprecedented cheer erupted from the crowd in the square!

"King—King—"

"Long live the Brilliant Star!"

"Stars—Stars—"

“Do you see?” Kessel still held his hand and said slowly, “These are our subjects, our burden, our responsibility.”

The Supreme King asked meaningfully, "Are you ready to be born for the stars?"

Before Thales could answer, Li Xiya, with a cold expression, walked up.

The young priestess seemed very nervous. At Li Xiya's prompting, she trembled as she brought over a plate with an expensive dagger on it.

"Bloodline ritual?"

Duke Cullen, supported by two attendants, walked to the terrace and shook his head: "A ceremony that hasn't been used for nearly two hundred years. When was the last time? The ceremony recognizing Prince Keira's bloodline?"

No one answered him.

The Duke of the North stared blankly at his sister, whom he hadn't seen for many years.
However, Li Xiya didn't even glance at him.

The high priest, with his captivating presence, slowly walked between the king and Thales.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire square, Kessel gently picked up the dagger, cut his left index finger, and put the dagger back.

The priestess girl placed the plate in front of Thales. She was only eleven or twelve years old, but it seemed to be her first time in such a high-profile setting, and she was so nervous that she kept trembling.

"Don't be nervous, it's alright." Thales smiled at her, picked up the dagger marked with a red sun, and cut open the palm of his left hand.

Li Xiya expressionlessly stretched out her two hands and grabbed the King and Thales respectively.

Then she looked up.

It was nothing like the lengthy prayer ceremony that Thales had envisioned.

Because the next moment, Li Xiya's eyes burst forth with the same intense light as those in the stone house!

The crowd that had been vying to watch from the terrace and behind it immediately fell silent, and more ordinary people began to kneel down, closing their eyes and praying towards the light in the center of the terrace.

The light grew stronger and stronger!

Even the people in the square could be seen clearly in the daylight!
The square was almost entirely filled with commoners who had no right to enter the Hall of Stars.

Almost everyone in the square knelt down devoutly and began to pray, facing the direction of the Fuxing Palace above them.

The devout kneeling of the believers caused the entire Star Gathering Plaza, viewed from the terrace of the Hall of Stars, to appear to change color and surge like waves.

But Thales didn't have the energy to see this spectacle.

To the boy's astonishment, he saw the blood on his and Kessel's hands floating up under the light in the high priest's eyes!
Then they connect to form a red ray of light.

This is?

Thales looked at the light with a puzzled expression.

The accident happened at that moment!

I finished writing the previous chapter last night and uploaded it. Then my friend dragged me to play Dota, so I didn't have time to edit it. When I went back and looked at it later, I thought, "What a load of crap!"

So the second half of Chapter 45 was heavily revised, and it wasn't until 6 a.m. this morning that it was re-uploaded.

For all readers who have read chapter 46 and feel confused and unsure of what to expect, remember to go back and read chapter 45!
P.S.: Do I really have to be so blunt? The book review section has been practically overgrown with weeds lately!
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(End of this chapter)