Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 746 Calm
As Thales received more and more people, in just one afternoon, a series of good news came in, concerning maritime trade, markets, debts, security, noble affairs, and more.

The Emerald City, which had been on the verge of collapse, was now showing signs of revival, much to the amazement of DD, who was secretly pushing a food cart from the kitchen to treat everyone.

"Emerald City was never really dead; to be precise, he faked his death to protect himself."

As evening fell, after the prince saw off the last group of guests from the grain merchants' guild and returned to his bedroom for a short rest, the silly lion guarding the door—or rather, Paul Bozdorf—tried to avoid looking at the steam rising from the dining cart and coldly explained:

"How can we talk about resurrection?"

“If they keep faking their death for too long, they’ll end up really dead,” Morgan said coldly from the other side, guarding the door to Jann’s room. He stared intently at the food cart and patted his empty stomach. “We should at least try to revive them as soon as we get the chance.”

"His Highness wanted to apprehend the murderer and close the case, but encountered a minor setback with Miss Hille," said the guard at Federico's door, Commuto, using more polite language than the other two, sounding like someone who had been through it all. "People—especially the officials, nobles, and merchants of Emerald City—think His Highness must be very angry, and are afraid that in a fit of rage he might overturn the table and smash the pot... so of course they have to try their best to behave well..."

"But is that really all there is to it?"

Wyman, leaning against the door of Thales's room, held his notebook, biting the end of his pen, utterly perplexed:
"The people His Highness summoned ranged from nobles to officials, from merchants to ship owners, some of whom barely exchanged a few words, yet Emerald City has seen a turnaround? Whether it's shipping routes, markets, security, debt, administration, or especially those powerful forces..."

"A turning point doesn't come out of thin air."

A familiar voice rang out—Martius, who had returned after seeing off his guests, appeared before the guards.

There's always a reason for its appearance.

All those on guard duty tensed up, their boredom turning into solemnity.

Only DD subtly shifted his position, blocking the food cart behind him.

“The point is not how many people His Highness summoned or how many words he spoke,” Marius glanced at everyone, whose eyes were filled with energy, “but rather who His Highness met first, who he met next, who he met after that, and what he gained from them.”

Everyone looked at each other, still completely bewildered and confused, and could only sincerely praise from the bottom of their hearts:
"I see. You truly understand His Highness, Lord!"

"As expected of the Watchman of the Guard..."

"As expected of His Highness's favorite captain of the personal guard..."

"There's definitely more to this than meets the eye..."

"The best strategy for subduing the enemy is indeed to win their hearts and minds..."

"The terrifying blade lives up to its name..."

DD arched his backside slightly, hiding the food cart behind the curtains:
"If that's the case, then, little brat, I mean, why didn't Your Highness summon these people sooner? Give them a good talking-to, scold them, praise them, and kill them if necessary. Wouldn't that have prevented trouble and made everyone happy? — Ouch, it's hot — Emerald City wouldn't have fallen to this state..."

Marius smiled slightly and was about to answer when he heard the door open.

"If you don't have a suitable weapon, little DD."

Duke of Starlake himself yawned as he walked out of the room, casually bypassing DD, and pulled back the curtains in full view of everyone. He dragged out the food cart from behind (Marius looked at the food cart that shouldn't be there, his smile vanished, and he gave DD a death stare at his blank face), lifted one of the lids, and ruthlessly snatched a piece of pastry.

"Then it's best to choose your time carefully and face your opponent later—hmm, not bad, my god, a whole day of meetings, my back is about to break."

Marius frowned as he watched Thales devour the pastries without even testing them for poison.

“What are you standing there for? You’ve been standing here all day, and you’re still acting all fierce and unyielding. It’s pathetic. Hurry up and eat. Don’t wait for the others, and don’t go to the dining room or wait for mealtime—oh, let Jen wait a little longer, he’s not at mealtime yet.” Thales’s mouth was full of food, and he spoke unclearly.

Clearly, faced with the prince's matter-of-fact and utterly remorseful expression, the Watcher, though dissatisfied, had no choice but to obey orders.

DD, on the other hand, reacted even more quickly, brazenly dragging the food cart to the center of the corridor and swiftly opening three plates for Thales, his movements so fast it was dazzling.

So the group of people, who had been starving for a long time, looked at each other and, without thinking, swarmed around the food cart and began to eat, disregarding manners.

Only Wyman refused the food DD offered, holding his notebook, still lost in thought.

"Whom to see first, and whom to see next... So, Your Highness, the 'weapon' you mentioned is the one you confiscated from the two Kevin Deer during our previous private meeting?"

Upon hearing this, everyone with their mouths full of food turned their heads in unison.

Thales declined the dining scarf that Doyle had offered him so solicitously, turned around in surprise, and couldn't help but look at the attendant with newfound respect.

"Not bad, Wyman."

He patted Wyman's chest in amazement and slapped half a loaf of bread into the latter's hand as a reward.

Wyatt was startled. He picked up the bread that the prince had bitten off, unsure whether to eat it or not, and looked quite embarrassed.

“But that’s not all,” Ketels’s expression changed. He swallowed a mouthful of beef, picked up a bowl of oatmeal porridge that DD had scooped out, and changed the subject. “I made this weapon myself before I met them. No, I stole it myself.”

Wyman blinked, completely bewildered.

Just like everyone else.

Only Marius squinted.

“Well, Your Highness, you must be exhausted after a long day of work and meeting so many people. I specially instructed the kitchen to prepare this in advance…” DD quickly interjected, eagerly placing the other two plates of meat on top of the food cart.

"Yes, it's quite tiring."

Thales sighed, stirring the hot porridge with a spoon, watching the simmering water in the bowl—or rather, the porridge simmering and boiling.

"But compared to physical exhaustion..."

After a long day of work, everyone was tired and hungry, and they were all gathered around the food cart, eating and chewing vigorously. No one paid any attention to the prince.

Only Marius unequivocally took the spring water from DD's hand:

"Your Highness?"

“In order to play against me, everyone, everyone is willing to pretend that they don’t care about their own interests and that they care about the big picture, but in their words and deeds, they only see their own interests,” Thales said, watching the porridge in his bowl spread out and then come together again, “like countless pieces scattered in all directions on a chessboard, without any direction or direction, rushing around recklessly.”

Thales shook the porridge in his hand, his gaze freezing:
"And I, holding the entire chessboard in my hands, will use various methods such as shaking, tilting, tapping, and swaying to sift them in one direction."

At the other end of the dining car, Neshi swallowed a mouthful of food with difficulty:
"Then you can't... can't you reach out and precisely lift each chess piece one by one?"

“Of course I would,” Thales shook his head, “but my fingers are too rough compared to the delicate and subtle chessboard.”

While eating, everyone secretly glanced up and looked at each other.

Thales carefully scooped up a spoonful of porridge, put it in his mouth, and swallowed after a long while.

Hmm, it's a bit hot.

But the chef was very skilled; the congee was seasoned just right, making it delicious and flavorful.

"At first, if I wanted to grab this piece, I would inevitably knock over that piece. To place a piece in a new position, I had to move the old pieces on top of it first... In the end, I found that I could not just move the few pieces I wanted precisely. I could only gently and carefully shake the whole board and let the pieces slide naturally."

Thales became more and more engrossed in his speech:

"But I soon discovered that it wasn't just a natural slide—in fact, every time my finger twitched, the entire chessboard would shake violently, and all the pieces on it would be affected, swaying and bouncing along various complex trajectories."

He sighed:

"Only a small number of the pieces close to my palm will slide to where I want them as I move them, but not many."

Now, except for a few oblivious ones who were still desperately eating with their heads down, everyone realized that the prince was pouring out his troubles and reflecting on life, and they couldn't help but listen to his admonition with solemn expressions.

Thales paused for a moment, took another sip of porridge, and continued with his感慨:

"As for the pieces in other corners of the chessboard, arranged in various ways... no matter how carefully and attentively I shake the board, the vibrations they experience are uneven, causing them to slide in different directions. But if I shake the board in the opposite direction, trying to shake back the pieces that are far away, those pieces that were originally close to me will start to slide uncontrollably..."

The group remained silent for a short while. Seeing that His Highness had no further instruction or reprimand, they cautiously resumed eating.

"Holding the entire chessboard and shaking countless pieces, you have revealed the difficulties of governing."

Paul casually nibbled on a piece of pastry, displaying the demeanor of a nobleman's son—if you ignored the crumbs around his mouth.

"What kind of chessboard is this? Do you have to shake it to play chess?" DD snapped out of his reverie from his soup bowl, looking puzzled.

Kommuto's eyes lit up, and he shared his plate with the others:
"But you don't only have two hands, Your Highness: the chess pieces are all on the same chessboard, and they collide with each other, changing direction. If we can use the collisions between the pieces to achieve our goal..."

“Therefore, choosing the right pieces is especially important—this is mine, you can take your own,” Paul said coldly, slapping away DD’s hand that was trying to wipe the crumbs from his mouth. “Because you can’t precisely control every piece, you must focus on the key, easy-to-move pieces to slide the longest distance with the least effort, to take in the most pieces, to miss the fewest pieces, and to achieve the highest efficiency.”

"Too much trouble. If you ask me, just smash the chessboard down—no, just melt it down and recast it into a big pot," Morgan snorted, downed the porridge in his bowl, and then roughly wiped it on his lips. "Just put all the pieces in there, and they'll all slide to the bottom and obediently gather together, won't they?"

Thales frowned and remained silent.

On the other side, the bronze-skinned guard, Kusta, sneered:
"Melt it down and recast it? Please, Mr. Morgan, do you know how long it takes and how expensive it is to rebuild a chessboard?"

"But before we put them back in the furnace, we have to take the pieces out first. We can't just melt them all down together," Kong Mutuo said thoughtfully.

At this moment, Wyman, who had been taking notes, suddenly spoke up and joined the conversation:

"In that case, which pieces do we have to take out? Which ones don't need to be taken out? Also, which ones can be put back after being taken out, and which ones have to be discarded?"

He raised his gaze, causing everyone to involuntarily lower their heads:

"After you've built the pot and put the chess pieces back, how many will be left?"

Upon hearing this, Thales paused in his porridge-drinking motion.

On the other side, the veteran Jenard, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up:
"A chessboard without a single piece left is still a chessboard. Can you still play chess on it?"

"Why play chess?" Morgan scoffed. "The chessboard was replaced with a big pot just so the pieces could be kept together quietly and without shaking or making noise. Who the hell cares about playing chess?"

Everyone was taken aback; some were deep in thought, while others were puzzled.

Wyman scratched his head and thought for a moment:

"Okay, let's put aside the question of whether we'll play chess or not... Let's assume the pot is made and the chess pieces are safe and sound. But what if, what if this recast pot gets weathered and corroded after a long time, and is flattened by the weight of countless chess pieces, turning back into a flat, stable chessboard? What then?"

Neshi frowned:

"Remelt it again?"

"Perhaps what we see now is a chessboard with uneven force distribution due to its flat surface..."

Paul sighed, crossed his arms, and rested his chin on his hand—he finally noticed the crumbs around his mouth and tried to wipe them away discreetly and naturally, without affecting his appearance.

"When it was first baked, it was a large pot of excellent quality?"

"No, why do you guys like pots so much?" Kusta asked, puzzled. "Isn't a chessboard for playing chess? If you don't want to play chess or hear the sound of the pieces, just throw the whole chessboard away. Why bother making a pot?"

"You guys are so weird."

A voice suddenly rang out, and everyone turned around to find DD struggling with a tough piece of old pork chop:
"Why, why force all the pieces to slide in one direction?"

what?
Everyone, including Thales, was taken aback.

DD finally took a bite of the steak and chewed it with satisfaction.

"The reason why there are so many squares and so many paths on the chessboard is so that more pieces, different pieces, can have a place to stand and a place to go, right?"

Doyle enjoys his steak with a carefree expression:

"As long as no pieces fall or damage the board, let them slide freely in all directions. Is that such a bad thing?"

The crowd looked at each other, stunned for a second before reacting, waving their hands in unison and showing their disdain.

"He doesn't even have a basic understanding of chess principles..."

"What a mess..."

"So you're just ignorant..."

"If chess pieces can move on their own, then what's the point of having a player?"

"That's right, then what's the use of a chess player? Wouldn't they be completely worthless, even less valuable than a chess piece?"

"If no one is playing chess, isn't it only a matter of time before the pieces fall off the board?"

"The chessboard will be destroyed!"

"If the pieces all have their own ideas and are going in different directions, how can they unite to capture the opponent's pieces and win the game?"

DD asked, puzzled:
"But what opponent? Why do we want to capture their pieces?"

"When playing chess, there's definitely more than one side, more than one player, there must be an opponent!"

DD was unconvinced:
"Wait a minute, like I just said, if the players are useless and worthless, then of course there are no opponents, so what's the point of talking about 'eating up' them—"

“Because it has to be this way,” Morgan shook his head, “because if we don’t capture our opponent’s pieces first, they will capture ours.”

But DD still didn't understand:
"Why? And why would our opponent capture our pieces?"

Kommut was taken aback, but forced himself to answer:

"Because...because they want to take over our chessboard?"

"Aren't our chessboards the same one, connected together?"

Neshi had a sudden inspiration:
"It's the same chessboard, that's true, but there are boundaries. This side is ours, and that side is theirs!"

"Then why not let them come over?"

"Are you crazy! You let their pieces come and take over our territory, so where are our pieces going?"

“Go to their place! Each piece is free to go wherever it wants…”

Kusta, growing impatient, made the final decision:
"Oh, why do you care so much? It's chess, there are players and opponents, that's the rule! Why are you glaring at me? I didn't make the rules!"

DD's mouth was full of food, and his speech was unclear.
"If you didn't set the rules, why should you follow them?"

Kusta was taken aback:
"Why should I...why shouldn't I follow the rules?"

"Okay, so who set the rules?"

DD's question stunned everyone.

"Who made that decision?"

"It's a convention..."

"It's always been like this..."

"Since ancient times..."

"Uh, the person who invented chess?"

"The best chess player?"

"Um...the first person to play chess?"

"Or is it the first piece that obeys?"

"The first chessboard with grid lines marked?"

Thales listened silently to their casual conversation, without saying a word.

“Then, regardless of who made the rules,” Wyman suddenly said absentmindedly, “can we change the rules?”

"us?"

Paul finally wiped the bits of food from his mouth. He crossed his arms for a moment to make the act of wiping his mouth less abrupt before letting go and coldly snorting:

"Anyway, I can't change it."

DD scratched his head sheepishly.

However, Wyatt still had questions:
"But if Your Highness succeeds, and all the chess pieces gather in one direction in one place, won't the chessboard become unbalanced? Won't it tip over?"

Kommut chuckled:
"How could that be? That's a chessboard that can support every single piece! Its foundation must be extremely solid, like it's nailed firmly to a stone table, so it won't tip over!"

"Wait, if it's firmly nailed down, how will Your Highness shake the chessboard and gather the pieces together?"

"So Your Highness is very strong..."

"No, Your Highness can shake the chessboard precisely because its foundation is not firmly fixed..."

Morgan's eyes flickered:
"Or rather, as long as you have enough strength, you can lift a stone table, shake a chessboard—or even recast a pot."

“Yes,” Paul said firmly, “there must be enough strength to lift the stone table and shake the chessboard.”

“Then let’s carefully select the perfect center,” Wyatt said thoughtfully. “When the pieces all gather around it, the stress on all four sides will be even, so the board won’t flip over.”

"Isn't that what I meant by recasting the pot..."

"Wait, then where is the perfect center of the chessboard, or rather, who decides the center of the chessboard?"

Komuto looked left and then right, his mind filled with questions.

"How should I know—hey, aren't you guys getting tired of this topic?"

"Perhaps there is no answer."

Thales' voice suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

“Whether it’s the chessboard or the pieces, whether it’s shaking, sliding, gathering, scattering, fixing, loosening, rules, or chaos, there is no inevitable end or eternal answer. There are only the pieces that keep moving forward and the chessboard that is sometimes moving and sometimes still. There is only the process and history formed in their interaction,” the prince sighed. “Perhaps this is the essence of the game.”

What is its essence?
Although some people still didn't understand or were unconvinced, no one dared to ask questions, let alone refute His Highness.

Only Marius, who had remained silent for a long time, let out a cold snort and turned to look out the window:

"It sounds like we've gone back to square one, nothing has been solved, it's all meaningless."

“To the chess player, and even to the gods beyond the chessboard, this may indeed be meaningless,” Thales nodded, slightly lost in thought, “but it is the chess piece itself, focused on its own moves, that truly feels, perceives, and awakens to these things…”

He took a deep breath:

"Its significance transcends everything."

Marius frowned:
"What's the use then? Even if you realize it, what can the chess piece do?"

Thales looked at the Watcher and smiled slightly:
"That's another topic."

Beside the dining car, DD nudged Custa next to him:
"That's strange. How did we end up talking about such a boring topic, and how did we manage to keep chatting about it?"

"You're still asking me?"

"Your Highness is, after all, a cultured man..."

“Perhaps,” Wyman said thoughtfully, having been so engrossed in taking notes that he hadn’t even had time to eat, “perhaps because this topic isn’t boring, and it concerns everyone.”

DD and Custa exchanged a glance and both rolled their eyes.

Wyman sensed something and suddenly looked up in surprise:
"Your Highness, where are you going?"

Everyone looked up and realized that Thales was already ten steps away.

"I've been sitting all day, my head is spinning. I'm going for a walk." The prince waved the sausage in his hand behind him, leaving them with a dashing back view.

Wyatt froze. He looked at his notes, then at the half-eaten loaf of bread on the dining cart, and muttered:

"Of course, Your Highness..."

Marius, with a serious expression, sighed and put down the soup in his hand.

"What are you doing standing still?"

He coldly gave the order:
"Follow me!"

----

Where is he?

Lausanne II slowly awoke to find himself in complete darkness, his nostrils filled with the stench of decay and urine.

Dim.

dirty.

moist.

silence.

Never see the light of day.

These thoughts flashed through my mind, and then the pain arrived as expected.

"Uh……"

King Lausanne II groaned in pain.

He felt waves of numbness, itching, and excruciating pain from his severed arm, while the wounds on his chest and abdomen were equally painful.

Seriously injured.

Near death.

Losang II gritted his teeth, and the muscles and blood vessels in his wounds immediately "came back to life," sprouting tiny granulation tissue that struggled like earthworms, trying to use his vampire abilities to mend and heal, but to no avail...

【Blood!!!】

A shiver ran through his soul, making him sway for a moment!
【Shut up! 】

King Lausanne II roared inwardly, then chuckled coldly.

Sure enough, the monster inside me was ever there, and it arrived as promised.

After his serious injury, he was almost completely exhausted in terms of both physical strength and recovery ability.

Blood is indeed needed.

A large amount of blood.

High-quality blood.

The next second, Losang II suppressed his nausea and discomfort, the excruciating pain and thirst, took a deep breath, and tried to struggle to get up from the ground, only to find that he was heavy and motionless.

strangeness.

King Lausanne II's eyes turned bloodshot, his muscles tensed, and he unleashed his full power once more!

Bang!

The vampire struggled with all its might, but only produced an unpleasant metallic scraping sound.

The assassin immediately realized what was on him.

Iron chain.

shackles.

shackles.

His closest friend, who had been with him for most of his life.

"Hahahahaha..."

With a bitter self-mockery, King Losang II lay back down, chuckling coldly.

He stopped struggling and instead turned his head forcefully to observe his surroundings in his narrow field of vision.

His vampire senses slowly began to take effect:
This is a typical dungeon, with thick layers of stone on all sides and above and below, and only a small hole about half a person's height at the back as the entrance and exit.

The ground was covered in sewage, the air was filled with a stench, and cockroaches crawled nearby.

Only a small candle flickered in the corner, barely enough to illuminate the area within a few feet.

As for him, his body and limbs—perhaps only three—were fastened by an incredibly heavy, intricately patterned black mechanical stone lock, from which four thick chains extended, securing him to the four corners of the dungeon.

Unable to move.

"He's awake."

A steady voice came from the direction of one of the four iron chains:

"Raise vigilance."

Lausanne II tried his best to turn his head, but unfortunately, due to the narrow field of vision and dim lighting, he could not see the other person's appearance clearly. He could only sense that the person was full of blood and energy, and even the outline of the person was glowing red.

but……

Lausanne II diligently received feedback from his other senses:

This person's breathing is even.

Heartbeat is steady.

A sword rests on his knee.

Her every move was calm and elegant.

Either he's a master.

Or he's just pretending to be an expert.

Wait, this person's voice... I think I've heard it before.

King Lausanne II's eyes flickered.

He was one of the people who hunted him that day.

"If you ask me, we should just hit him on the head again to save trouble—or at least change the lock to a silver one."

From the direction of the other chain, a rough voice came, its tone disdainful.

The second guard was armed and smelled faintly of blood.

I was recently injured.

“Miss Hilly said there will be further interrogation later,” the first voice came. “He is already seriously injured. Although we don’t know how strong his vampire constitution is, we can’t act recklessly…”

"Yes," a rough, deep male voice replied dismissively and impatiently, full of sarcasm, "Grand Knight Casian!"

Cassandra was not angry upon hearing this, but remained silent.

"So I said..."

A third voice broke in, sounding both cautious and flustered:
"How long are we going to have to stay here? The pay is high, but it stinks... I mean, you guys aren't planning a kidnapping, are you...? Don't get me wrong, I...I...I have absolutely no problem with your work. As Duke Lenster said: Emerald City is diverse, inclusive, and mutually beneficial, and I fully support it..."

The third guard was short of breath and had weak limbs; he was an ordinary person, no, even weaker than an ordinary person.

King Lausanne II silently counted the number of people.

"Shut up, or you'll die and you'd better sit still." Another voice interrupted the third person, who immediately fell silent.

Fourth, women.

His voice was cold and his tone was cautious; he also had a faint smell of blood on him.

one two three four……

King Lausanne II finished his observation and took a deep breath.

four people.

They watched over him.

There was also a woman among them, a coward who couldn't even speak properly.

Losang II squinted, his remaining left hand beginning to explore the area he could move, slowly reaching for the black shackles binding his body.

That's a gross underestimation of him.

Even when he was critically injured and on the verge of death.

Back then, those vampires locked him in a heavily guarded forbidden blood cell, protected by all sorts of terrifying old zombies and unheard-of magical curses.

Blood! Blood! Blood!

Ignoring the desire within him, King Losang II gave a silent snort.

They will pay the price for underestimating their opponent.

“I am badly injured,” Losang II said hoarsely, forced to give in to the desires of his body. “Without blood, I will die.”

Get out of here first...

The guards remained motionless and ignored them.

“With my death, your mistress will have lost even her last bargaining chip,” Losang II said, feeling pain and exhaustion. “What will she use to blackmail Polaris?”

Silence filled the dungeon.

A few seconds later, a clear, cold female voice spoke:

"Wait."

Boom!
With a muffled thud, a soft object was thrown to the lips of King Lausanne II.

Upon seeing the target clearly, King Lausanne II's eyes widened.

It was a dead rat.

Smelly.

fishy.

stiff.

It also had a peculiar, disgusting, rotten smell.

what?
King Lausanne II frowned.

"That's it?"

"What, isn't rat blood blood?" the female guard said coldly. "It can't help you recover from your injuries?"

A surge of anger welled up in Lausanne II's chest.

Of course.

As long as they keep eating day and night, without moving or expending energy, they can continuously consume hundreds or thousands of them...

"At least give me something fresh."

In order to escape, he swallowed his anger.

"No way, the rats here are fierce," the other male guard said sarcastically. "Looking like you, you probably can't beat them."

King Lausanne II clenched his fist.

Blood! Blood! We need blood!

King Lausanne II closed his eyes.

Ok.

damn it.

This was in order to escape.

At least, at least it wasn't human blood.

It's not... the blood of innocent people.

Smelling the blood on the dead rat, King Losang II forced himself to suppress his nausea and disgust, and with trembling hands opened his mouth, baring his teeth, and bit through the rat's corpse.

puff.

As the hairy, stiff flesh gradually congealed, and the slightly rotten, foul-smelling cold blood splattered from the rat's blood vessels, it entered his mouth.

It made him feel disgusted and bitter.

Blood...it really...stinks...

[Shut up!] King Losang II closed his eyes and painfully swallowed the foul-smelling blood.

Although it was slow, it was true that the dying blood energy in his body began to stir.

Restored.

"See, they're eating it anyway," the male guard said dismissively. "Why all the fuss..."

The next second, King Lausanne II, who had regained some strength, suddenly opened his eyes, which were blood red!
With a flick of his left hand, sharp claws materialized.

brush!
Sparks flew as his sharp claws lunged at the locks binding his body, creating a harsh, unpleasant scraping sound!
Suddenly, the ordinary man screamed in fright, while the other three immediately stood up, weapons in hand, ready for battle!
"arms!"

"He's breaking the lock!"

“I told you he was a troublemaker,” the first gruff, deep voice said viciously, “He should be—”

“Calm down,” Cassandra, clearly the leader, said calmly, putting his tense companions at ease. “Look, he can’t break free.”

Losang II was stunned, the focus of everyone's attention.

Lying on the ground, he struggled to lift his head:
The black stone lock under the claws remained completely still, without even the slightest scratch.

His vampire claws, however, were emitting faint wisps of blue smoke from the intense friction they had just endured.

This lock... can't be opened?

“But he tried,” the female guard said, watching him carefully from behind, her sword tip always pointed at her opponent, “and he will try again.”

Losang II remained stunned, unable to understand why his sharpest and most hated vampire claws had no effect.

Cassandra frowned.

He picked up the candle and slowly approached Lausanne II.

“Don’t bother,” Cassandra observed Losang II’s movements closely, watching the claws on the latter’s hands gradually shrink. “I know you are an expert at the highest level, but you can’t break free from these chains.”

King Losang II gave a cold laugh and did not reply.

What's the point of wasting time talking to a dead person?

“Of course he can’t break free,” the first male guard with a deep voice drew his longsword, approached him, and gritted his teeth. “If he loses both his hands, let’s see how he’ll break free…”

But Cassandra decisively reached out and pinned down the male guard.

He looked at the latter and shook his head:

"He is a prisoner of war, and he deserves the treatment he is entitled to, provided that his safety is not compromised."

The male guard snorted angrily and shook off Cassandra's hand:
"Pedantism."

Cassandra remained calm and composed, simply observing the prisoners silently.

“You know, the day before I graduated and left the Tower of Ending, Kuradel from the ‘Rose’ lineage told me a story.”

"Knight Cassien said quietly."

Losang II, pondering how to break free of his chains in another way, frowned upon hearing this.

“He said that long, long ago, the legendary mages did many, many bad things,” Cassandra’s eyes filled with longing, “one of which was to conduct a great many live experiments in order to measure the limits that the human body could reach—speed, reaction, strength, flexibility, endurance, injury tolerance, and even the power of termination, which was then called supernatural power—from the elderly, children, women, men, soldiers, craftsmen to…”

The other guards frowned in unison, and Cassandra seemed to realize something as well, and smiled slightly.

"I won't go into what they did, but through complex experiments and formula calculations, the mages did indeed measure the limits of the human body and summarized a whole set of theories—you probably wouldn't believe how exaggerated these limits are, or how incredible a mere mortal can do with just flesh and blood and the power of termination."

King Lausanne II scoffed dismissively.

"So people at the time unanimously believed that this was the limit of mortals, and called it..."

Cassandra looked at his sword and shook his head:

"The ultimate realm".

Cassandra sighed softly.

"No matter how strong or powerful a person is, they say that's the highest limit a person can reach. Beyond that, it's beyond human capability. And to break through this limit, one must transcend the human body, break free from the shackles of flesh and blood. For this, the mages have done even worse things..."

Lausanne II remained unmoved and continued to try to find the shackles that bound him.

"But on the other side, another group of people who have always had a bad relationship with the mages—the knights—are not convinced."

Cassandra raised his head, his eyes clear:
"Through years of wielding swords, they know that the body has its limits and that flesh and blood have an end, but they absolutely do not believe in human strength, or rather, they do not believe that the will and spirit of knights have their limits."

brush!
A flash of light appeared, and the others tensed up.

"Pah, screw your brains!"

Losang II, having failed to unlock the door once again, cursed and his claws were even worn raw.

“They scoff at the mages’ theory that the highest level of humanity is only the ‘limit’,” Cassandra said calmly, watching the assassin struggle. “They call it a ‘false realm’.”

"They firmly believe that as long as a certain condition is met—effort, sweat, perseverance, will, determination, method, or something else—even a mere mortal can surpass the limits."

"By breaking through the 'false realm', we can reach the 'true realm'."

"This is the origin of the terms 'Extreme Realm' and 'True Realm' above the extraordinary—or at least one of them."

The other guards in the dungeon remained silent.

Cassandra snapped out of his daze.

"And the lock on you is an ancient magic lock that Kevin Deer obtained from the Corleone family. It is said that it was forged by mages long ago according to the theory of 'limit realm' to ensure that even if the prisoner being locked up is a master who has pushed all his abilities to the peak, he will not be able to break free."

The knight looked at the black stone chains binding the prisoner with sorrow in his eyes.

"That's right, the significance of this lock is to lock up experts at the highest level."

It also limits the limits of human capabilities.

It signifies one's own weakness.

King Lausanne II frowned upon hearing this.

"That depends on the skill level," the heavily injured assassin gasped for breath, but stubbornly insisted, "What if it's someone who's a locksmith?"

Cassandra shook his head:

"Throughout my life, I have never seen it broken."

In fact, he had seen it once.

But the other party doesn't need to know, right?
“So please, have some mercy,” Cassandra sighed, “and stop trying to take it, so that both of us can save ourselves the trouble?”

King Lausanne II remained silent.

He did not reply, but he also stopped trying to pick the lock.

"You said before that you watched my martial arts competition when I was selecting generals when you were young," the assassin suddenly changed the subject, "What did you see?"

Knight Cassandra's eyes flickered.

He looked at the killer lying on the ground, barely clinging to life, and recalled the spirited knight apprentice he had once seen at the election.

"I saw your swordsmanship was superb. In one of your matches, you fought against a master from the 'Rose' lineage. Facing his counterattacks, you were always able to..."

King Lausanne II scoffed dismissively:

"You know what I'm asking."

Cassandra remained silent for a long while.

“I remember that you and Prince Horace had a final showdown, a fierce battle that was evenly matched, and you even had the upper hand at one point.”

Cassie paused for a moment, then exhaled.

"But at the last moment, he seized the opportunity..."

"If I said I had the opportunity to kill him, would you believe me?" King Losang II coldly interrupted him.

Knight Cassandra was surprised to hear this, then smiled, and was about to speak when his expression changed!
"You, no..."

The knight suddenly stood up, but his body swayed, his eyes glazed over, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

thump!
Three muffled thuds rang out, and Cassandra and the guards fell to the ground.

I've been infected.

Finished.

King Lausanne II watched them coldly, focusing on unlocking the device.

This is so annoying!

If you want to kill him, then kill him; if you want to torture him, then torture him. You have to force him to give up the struggle.

Very well, now let's take a look at this broken lock—

Ok?
Suddenly, King Lausanne II remembered something.

There were only three sounds of someone falling to the ground?

"Aaaaaaah! Help me! Aaaaaaah!"

A deafening cry for help rang out, startling the assassin!
He tried to turn his head, only to find that the ordinary guard, who spoke shakily, acted timidly, and was somewhat clumsy, had not fallen down but was shouting in panic.

how come……

Before King Lausanne II could even be surprised that his supernatural powers were ineffective, he saw the clumsy guard lunge at the fallen Cassandra and shake him violently.
"They're here! They've finally come! Knight! My lord Knight! Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

Oops!

But before he could utter a curse, Cassandra, who had been knocked down by the "evil whispers," slowly woke up, pressing his forehead in pain.

The other two guards, a man and a woman, also slowly woke up; one gritted his teeth, while the other remained silent.

"Do you think we locked you up here without any prior preparation? Especially for your special abilities?"

Knight Cassandra stood up with a displeased expression and thanked the fat guard who had shaken him awake.

King Lausanne II looked at the guard, puzzled, who had instantly gone from crying to grinning after the knight's thanks:

"How, how could..."

“This guy’s name is Slimani. He used to be a lawyer,” the male guard said coldly, explaining to him, “until he went mad.”

what?
King Lausanne II looked intently.

He then realized that, apart from his shabby clothes and strange, dull expression and behavior, the fat guard who was shouting and yelling actually looked somewhat familiar.

“It’s not so much madness… but rather that his mind is in turmoil, unable to distinguish between the past and the present, between memory and reality,” the female guard sighed. “That’s right, it just happens to overlap with your ability, in other words, this ability is ineffective against him.”

what?
King Lausanne II strained to raise his neck, widened his eyes, and stared intently at Srimani.

He, the former renowned lawyer, suddenly became gentle and kind, sitting unreservedly on the filthy floor, counting on his fingers with contentment:

"One, two, three... Bobo told me that if we do this job, we can make a little money and buy my wife a new dress..."

Lausanne II found it hard to believe.

He stared unblinkingly at Slimani—his former goal, now a shackle that left him helpless.

"I advise you not to make a move on him," Knight Cassien warned, seeing him staring intently at Slimani.

Perhaps because he had just been attacked, his attitude towards the assassin was no longer gentle.

"I forgot to tell you, each of us four is connected to a mechanism," the female guard said coldly, holding up a simple wooden handle with a taut rope attached. "Once all four of us lose consciousness and release our grip, the mechanism will be triggered..."

organ?

King Lausanne II's expression changed slightly.

The female guard whispered:

"Right above you is a skylight that leads directly to the ground drainage ditch."

King Lausanne II frowned deeply.

what?
The male guard on the other side suddenly spoke up: "What time is it? One o'clock? Two o'clock? Is it afternoon yet?"

The female guard shrugged:

"open to take a look?"

Open?

King Lausanne II's eyes narrowed!
The next second, a dull thud of wood came from above the assassin's head!

Wow!

At that moment, the dungeon suddenly burst into light!
light.

Light?
Light!
King Lausanne II stared wide-eyed in disbelief as the bright light streaming down from above pierced the darkness of the dungeon, filling his vision!
No, no, no!
A dazzling light descended from the sky, illuminating the surroundings and his entire body.

Do not!
King Lausanne II's eyes were filled with terror, and the monster inside him let out a desperate cry along with him.

【Do not! 】

Exposed to the sunlight, his bloodline instincts made him tremble and shudder uncontrollably, struggling desperately!
Do not! !

The shackles were pulled and shook violently, without stopping for a moment.

Do not! ! !
However, the vampire assassin struggled for several seconds before realizing that the expected pain and burning sensation did not occur.

He was neither burned to ashes nor scalded to the point of being blistered.

Ok?
King Losang II looked at the silver light on his body with a puzzled expression, and his struggle vanished instantly.

This is……

It's moonlight.

The assassin let out a sigh of relief.

Gentle, quiet, safe...

Moonlight.

King Lausanne II stared blankly at the bright moon outside the skylight.

The next second, he collapsed as if he had lost all strength, and the back of his head hit the ground with a thud.

"Around eight o'clock tonight, humph, consider yourself lucky," the male guard said coldly, seemingly quite disappointed. "Take him along."

The female guard snorted, and the three of them picked up the discarded handle again, while shoving the other handle back into Slimani's hand.

The skylight was closed, and the moonlight disappeared.

But Lobsang II remained with his head on the ground, his face blank.

light.

moonlight.

It's just moonlight...

But why.

Why……

Why has it been so many years...?

He's still the same...

King Lausanne II felt his eyes sting and his chest feel heavy.

He lay on the ground, trembling slightly involuntarily.

why?
Pain, shame, suffering, numbness, sorrow, despair...

A flood of emotions overwhelmed him, making it difficult for him to bear.

It overwhelmed the already highly emotional mind of the vampire.

"So you're crying now? Humph, weren't you all high and mighty before?" the male guard said disdainfully.

The female guard squinted:
"Is this light... really that terrifying?"

King Lausanne II remained silent, staring blankly at the dim ceiling.

"No, he wasn't afraid, he hated."

After observing for a long time, Cassandra retrieved the wooden handle and wrapped the rope around it tightly.

"And he doesn't hate the light."

Cassandra gazed sadly at the swordsman, a formidable foe lying on the ground, recalling the swordsman's panicked and fearful eyes as he hid from the sunlight, and understood something:
It was him.

The male and female guards seemed lost in thought.

"Fuck you." Losang II snapped out of his daze, painfully turned his head away, blinked hard to wipe away his tears, and stubbornly continued to argue.

Just then, the dungeon door opened.

"what happens?"

Amid the footsteps, another young woman's voice came, sounding quite impatient:

"I finally managed to doze off for a bit, and then I heard Manny yelling from far away."

Knight Cassandra turned and bowed.
"Miss."

“It’s nothing,” the female guard replied calmly. “Our guest is restless, so we’re just giving him a little treat.”

Slimani's eyes lit up when he saw the new girl:
"Miss, kind miss, I've done everything you said. I screamed as soon as they fell asleep... Is this the reward...?"

"Okay, I got it. Good job, Manny. By the way, Pop is looking for you."

Before Slimani could say anything more, he was pushed and thrown out of the dungeon by the male and female guards.

The newcomer declined the escort of Knight Cassien and slowly walked toward Lausanne II.

The rightful owner has arrived.

King Lausanne II took a deep breath, forgetting the pain and despair he had just felt, and hardened his heart to face the new girl.

“Congratulations, little girl from the Kevin Deer family,” the assassin said coldly, showing no weakness, “you have captured the most terrible killer in Emerald City.”

"Terrible? Hmph, in the storms of Emerald City, you're nothing but a tiny ripple."

A young female voice came to him and responded lightly:

"Whether it's Catherine of the Blood Vial Gang or Fesso of the Brotherhood, they would probably be happy to accept you."

"But you won't do that."

Lausanne II struggled to turn his head from the few available angles so that he could face the other person.

"You still want to use me as a bargaining chip to blackmail Polaris, to negotiate terms, and to rescue your brother," the assassin sneered. "You need my presence, and even more so, my cooperation, to compete and strategize with the most powerful person in Emerald City right now."

The dungeon's master, Cecilia Kevindir, remained silent for a long while.

“That little brat has no power whatsoever,” Miss Iris said dismissively. “Not only is he penniless and without any connections, but nobody in this city even considers him a big deal.”

“Perhaps,” Lausanne II said in a deep voice, “but that’s precisely why, little girl, you are the unwise one.”

Hilly's eyes flickered.

“The matter was about to be over: Prince Thales caught the murderer, prepared another trial and a confession, and gave the world an explanation... At that time, it would be up to him who the Emerald City belonged to, and whether the Duke was Federico or Janne. It was just a matter of flipping a coin to choose one of the two.”

King Lausanne II chuckled softly:

"But you interfered, snatched the prize from the tiger's mouth, slapped him in the face in front of the whole city, making him look weak and incompetent, losing all face, and making it impossible to close the case..."

Hilly seemed to remember something, crossed her arms, and gave the same cold laugh.

"I know, but it was pretty cool, wasn't it?"

"In order to save your brother, you have made yourself a symbol of the Emerald City's resistance against the prince," Lausanne II said, ignoring her dry humor, "and also drove the North Star to a dead end."

King Lausanne II struggled, causing the chains in the dungeon to rattle.

Cassandra frowned and was about to step forward when Hilly stopped him.

"If he chooses Janine now, it would mean he's being forced to compromise with you, lowering himself to a lower status, and causing the royal family to lose face..."

One could only sense that King Lobsang II was gritting his teeth, and that his words carried a strange, faint sense of satisfaction:
"If he chooses Federico, he'll be stubbornly clinging to power, forcibly seizing control, and digging his own grave amidst the ridicule and opposition of the entire city..."

King Lausanne II let out a cold laugh:

"His only remaining option is to completely oppose you and fight to the death."

Hilly remained silent.

"Now, he must first catch you, take back the criminal, punish you, and let the whole world see that he has regained the authority and dignity he lost from you and reversed the damage before he can put an end to everything in Emerald City."

A hint of stubbornness flashed in Hilly's eyes.

“Great, I’m just waiting for him to come.”

“He will,” King Lausanne II laughed loudly. “He’s been to this sewer before, he knows this place! He’ll mobilize the entire city to find me, or rather, to find you!”

sewer……

Upon hearing this, Hilla frowned and turned to Cassandra.

"Did you tell him where he is?"

Cassandra hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly spoke:
“We showed him the skylight.”

Hilla looked displeased.

"It's unnecessary."

Cassandra bowed his head and apologized.

“And when he comes next time, he will neither be alone nor unarmed,” Lausanne II’s smile became even more exaggerated, “and he will not, like last time, easily give in to your threats and let you leave because he is afraid of being in the public eye.”

Hilla did not respond.

“Because of your willful and reckless actions, the well-written script has suddenly gone out of control, and everything has gone off track and into chaos,” Lausanne II said with a sharp gaze. “Unless you decide the winner, Emerald City will not have a good end, and no one will be able to escape unscathed.”

The assassin glanced at Miss Kevin Deer with ill intent:
"are you ready?"

Hilly frowned slightly, but showed no sign of backing down:
"Worry about yourself first, prisoner—have you drunk your blood today?"

King Lausanne II laughed, completely unconcerned by the other party's sarcasm.

“You’re so confident. You think he won’t kill you, or even do anything to you,” he shook his head and clicked his tongue. “A girl blinded by love.”

Hillay remained motionless, expressionless.

“Next time you want him to check the skylight, Cassandra,” Miss Kevin Deer said casually, “choose daytime, noon.”

Cassandra raised an eyebrow and nodded.

But Lobsang II seemed to have foreseen his fate and remained unfazed.

"Believe me, I've dealt with people like him—those so-called 'good people' who hold high positions of power."

The vampire assassin's eyes were distant, containing both nostalgia and hidden pain.

"Compared to murder, they have plenty of ways to make people wish they were dead, using the noblest and most compassionate methods."

Facing them, you feel nothing but resentment and anger.

But they couldn't find a way to vent their hatred and anger.

But behind this allure that makes people "willing" to die for it, there's always something wrong.

wrong.

King Lausanne II clenched his fist.

"So you're surrendering?" Hilly suddenly asked.

King Lausanne II was taken aback.

"what?"

“I know, it’s an old trick. It uses your past and your obsession to bewitch you: life is hopeless, life is unsolvable, the end is tragic, and the only thing that matters is to appeal to your instincts, to use your anger and hatred to prove that you ever existed.”

Hilly crossed her arms, rubbed her gloves, and looked at them with disdain.

what?
As if remembering something, King Lausanne II's expression slowly changed.

“And you surrendered, bowed down and let it run rampant in your mind, taking whatever it wanted,” Hilly clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Tsk tsk, how pathetic.”

Summoning instincts, unleashing rage, venting hatred...

Surrender, bow down and submit, take whatever you want...

"Who? Who are you talking about?"

The assassin found himself trembling slightly.

“You know who it is,” Hilly said coldly. “That monster has a twisted sense of humor and loves watching a person’s decades-long beliefs crumble overnight, driving them into madness.”

Cassandra closed his eyes and turned his head away from behind, seemingly unable to bear watching any longer.

Collapse overnight, descending into madness?

King Lausanne II's eyes widened, and his breathing became rapid:

"You, you and that, that...how did it, how did it become...and how did it know that I used to be..."

“It knows nothing and can’t conjure up any real people,” Hilly interrupted him coldly. “But you know, don’t you? Only you know your past.”

You know.

Only you know.

King Lausanne II was stunned.

“Look, people are often not defeated by their opponents,” Hilly sighed, “but by themselves.”

"But……"

boom.

The dungeon door opened once again.

Did he confess?

Losang II recovered from the shock and composed himself.

This new voice is unique, unlike the previous guards.

They are new guests.

In order to hide under the nose of Kongming Palace, she must have gone to great lengths and contacted many helpers.

Lausanne II closed his eyes, his mood somber.

"He's about to confess."

Hilaire sighed, turned around, and said in a bad tone, as if annoyed at being interrupted: "If it weren't for you interrupting me."

“That would be good,” the new guest said, slowly pacing closer to the prisoner, “so that you won’t be able to interrogate prisoners behind my back and pocket all the benefits.”

Ok?
strangeness.

Losang II sensed something was wrong and suddenly opened his eyes!

how come……

"You, you... what are you doing here?"

The assassin stared at the new guest in disbelief.

The new customer frowned:
"That's a strange thing to say. Why can't I be here?"

King Lausanne II was stunned.

and many more.

So that means...

He instinctively looked at Hilly, wanting an answer.

“As you can see, I have kept my promise,” the new guest said, standing next to Miss Kevin Deer and extending his hand with a nonchalant air. “Now, may I have my collateral returned?”

Hilly glanced at him, gave a cold snort, and seemed to be disdainful.

A second later, the girl from the Kevin Deer family reluctantly pulled something from her waist.

At that moment, King Lobsang II's eyes widened!
dagger.

It was a dagger.

A gleaming, sharp dagger capable of cutting through iron like mud.

He recognized the dagger.

He has seen it.

More than once.

The most recent time was on the day I was arrested; the woman in front of me held it to her neck and left unharmed...

The last time, and the time before that, was...

King Lausanne II was stunned.

impossible.

"You, when did you start..."

impossible……

King Lausanne II stared at the other man in disbelief, then suddenly realized something and his eyelids widened!

"No, could it be that on the night I was hunted and captured, you, the two of you..."

The vampire assassin stared at the new guest standing next to Hilla and murmured in a daze:
"So they're all in cahoots?"

No one answered.

In the dungeon, Polaris, the Second Prince, Duke of Starlake, the acting regent of the Sky Palace, and Thales Starlight naturally accepted the JC dagger handed back by Hilla Kevindir.

The wind is gentle, the clouds are light, and the waves are calm.

(End of this chapter)