Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 79 Mission
three days later.

This morning, Yongxing City had just experienced a snowfall, leaving the roads muddy and dirty.

However, the road in front of the Mindis Hall was swept clean.

Several carriages have arrived one after another.

"Time is running out. It is said that the Duke of Lombardy has not withdrawn his troops, but continues to garrison the border. I don't know if it's because King Nuen has failed to restrain him, or if he can no longer be restrained."

Gilbert and the neatly dressed Thales stood in the study on the third floor, watching the carriage drive into the Mindis Hall through the window.

Gilbert said with a solemn expression:

"It seems that a probing conflict is unavoidable. Although Baron Mu and Lady Satherley are stationed at the fortress, and the Zemutor and Forrest families have pledged their full support, the vassals of Hammura and Arend are in chaos after hearing the news of the Duke's imprisonment... We'd better get there as soon as possible to quell the unrest."

Thales nodded slightly and listened quietly to Gilbert's report.

"As is customary, as a Star Prince, Your Highness, you will need four tutors to guide you in grammar, etiquette, history, and military affairs, as well as an attendant, who will generally be your future assistant, and two guards..."

"But with your mission imminent... everything must be kept simple, and we'll make up for it when you return home."

"Considering that the place we are going to is the unfamiliar Exter, and the purpose of this trip is to apologize, we have to reduce our entourage. In addition to the thirty Star Guardians led by Jorah, there are three special candidates."

“A mentor—I will introduce you to a learned scholar shortly, who will serve as your deputy on this trip; an attendant—the candidate has been chosen and is on the carriage; and a guard—your safety is of utmost importance, he must be an experienced expert in extreme conditions…”

Thales was taken aback when he heard this.

"The choice of instructors and guards... Gilbert, you mean you, Yodl, and even Ginny... won't be traveling with me?"

Gilbert gave a helpless smile.

“Hmm,” he said calmly, “I am the signatory of the Fortress Treaty, and I am notorious in Exster as a ‘conspirator’... My presence in Dragonhill will only bring you unnecessary trouble.”

"As for the Yordles..."

Gilbert shook his head: "In the North, over the past ten years, there have been five renowned experts at the pinnacle of power, commonly known as the 'Five War Generals,' serving under King Nuen and several grand dukes. Their status is comparable to the 'Three Commanders' in our Star Kingdom who command the legendary anti-magic forces. Your Highness, if you encounter any of them, please do not mention the 'master wearing a dark purple mask' or that he is now the secret bodyguard of the Supreme King of Star Kingdom."

Thales was taken aback.

After a month of study, he knew about the three generals of Xingchen... but what about the five warriors of Exter's side...?

The former foreign minister sighed, "Yodl... has a grudge against each of them..."

Thales took a second to understand the sentence, then his face twitched as he asked, "Every...everyone? What kind of holiday?"

Gilbert simply glanced at him silently.

Thales took a breath and gave a helpless smile: "Okay... I guess it's the more troublesome kind..."

The prince had another question in his mind.

Yodl's past.

What exactly did he do to provoke the "Five Warriors" at the same time?
It's like someone having to fight against "three great generals" at the same time—that's simply unimaginable.

“And Lady Ginny…” Gilbert looked out the window as the carriage stopped and several people got out… “Her identity is rather sensitive… You know, her relationship with the King…”

Thales sighed. "So, apart from the Corleone family's 'allies,' I probably won't see any familiar faces, right?"

“That’s exactly what I wanted to say,” Gilbert’s expression froze. “Are you really going to bring the Corleone family along?”

Thales said with a serious expression, "After all, I made a promise to them—I don't like to break my word."

Moreover, although that old hag Celine was annoying, she did help me at a crucial moment by using the vampire's telepathic communication. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she saved my life.

Thales frowned. "After all, they have one expert at the Extreme Realm and two experts at the Super Realm. Serena also hopes to rely on my identity to regain her rightful place, so they are bargaining chips. On the way to the North, they can disguise themselves and hide among the entourage..." He paused, recalling that robust figure, "And..."

"His Majesty...he gave permission, didn't he?"

“Of course, it was a promise from a prince of the stars… a promise from the stars,” Gilbert sighed. “However, within the Star Kingdom, with the king and our forces by their side, they dare not be too presumptuous, but in the unfamiliar territory of Exter… let’s hope they won’t cause trouble.”

“After all, neither Yodl nor I are with you,” Gilbert frowned. “Be careful of that old butler, Chris… I feel like I’ve heard his name somewhere before.”

“Hey, don’t forget,” Thales rolled his eyes at Gilbert, “who brokered this alliance.”

Gilbert flashed a perfect smile and adjusted his hat.

“And also, Gilbert, about what I told you yesterday…” Thales looked worried: “The Lower City…”

Gilbert exhaled through his nose: "Yes, Your Highness, now that your identity no longer needs to be kept secret, and Mindis Hall has resumed its access... I sent men to the Lower City yesterday afternoon, and we should have results by tonight at the latest—it's not easy to infiltrate that place; the Secret Service is better suited than us—to investigate those beggars and that bartender."

"I will keep you informed of the latest situation by then. I will do my best to take care of them if possible, even though we have almost no manpower in the lower city."

“Thank you.” Thales looked at the former foreign minister gratefully. “That way I won’t have to go looking for Morat.”

"But you must understand..."

“The Black Prophet’s words are not without reason, Your Highness.” Gilbert hesitated slightly, but still looked up and said, “You are different from them after all.”

Thales's gaze paused for a moment.

"Moreover, getting too close to you may not be a good thing for them... Your help may be useless to them, or even bring disaster."

Thales was silent for a moment, then gave an awkward smile.

"I know."

I know.

He nodded, exhaled, turned around, and straightened his collar.

"Midira! Are you ready? It's time to go."

A strange, faint metallic scraping sound came from outside the door.

Midila Rolf, wobbling along with a pair of strange metal prosthetics, came into their view and gave Thales a rather awkward bow.

Gilbert's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Rolf's neck and half of his face were covered by a strange silver mask, which concealed his bulging throat and the tattoos on his face, but what was even stranger were the prosthetics under his knees.

The Star Kingdom's friendship with the dwarves of Steel City also greatly benefited the country's artisans. The skilled royal craftsmen spent only two days crafting a simple pair of prosthetics for Rolf. Two high-quality, flexible, and wear-resistant steel plates were bent into an L-shape, then hammered into a highly elastic J-shape. The bending points were reinforced with pyrite, and a fixing plate was made to attach them to his knees and fasten them to his belt, allowing Rolf to walk with difficulty without crutches.

Of course, his ability to maneuver and dodge in battle relies on his own wind manipulation ability.

Thales raised an eyebrow: "Not bad, but the part below the knee is too eye-catching... Next time, you should cover it with your pants."

Midila Rolf lowered her head and pulled out a stack of papers stapled together.

Gilbert suddenly realized that the other person wasn't hesitating, but rather searching through the sign language diagrams in their hands.

Clumsy Rolf found the drawing he needed, looked at Thales, raised his right fist, bent his wrist, and tapped it twice.

【Yes. 】

Thales chuckled softly: “Very good, all you lack is proficiency: sign language and prosthetics are both—perfect, you can continue your lessons on the go.”

Rolf smiled, found another piece of paper, and made a gesture.

【Thanks. 】

Gilbert sighed: "Since you have decided to accompany His Highness to the North, to Exter—I hope you understand the difficulties of this journey and do your best to protect His Highness."

Rolf lowered his head slightly. This time, instead of searching for a cheat sheet, he recalled the proper gestures and made them.

Confused, Gilbert frowned and could only look helplessly at Thales.

“He said,” Thales replied with a smile, “He’ll do his best.”

Gilbert sighed and shook his head helplessly: "Well, at least it's a good way to pass secret messages..."

This superhuman they rescued from the Mangrove Manor, who came from a gang... no, he's a super-class superhuman. Although he's still quite inexperienced in combat, strictly speaking, he's already a superhuman warrior... What could possibly make him so devoted to His Highness?

Thales gently waved his hand and snapped his fingers:
"Very good, let's go."

------

At the entrance to the Mindis Hall.

"How have you been lately, old friend?"

In front of several carriages, Gilbert extended his hand and shook hands firmly with the lead, thin man.

“It’s terrible,” the thin man said, his face grim. “The administrative efficiency of Yongxing City is far inferior to that of the front-line camps in the Western Wilderness. I came to the capital for the documents in the Great Library, but I lost my advanced access pass a month ago, so I have been waiting in the capital until now—and they told me that it would take half a year to reissue it.”

“I guess you’ve run out of travel money, that’s why you came to see me…” Gilbert replied with a smile.

“And you’ve given me this troublesome task…” The thin man sighed, looking at Thales with a scrutinizing gaze. “You don’t want me to give you the money directly, do you?” Gilbert stepped aside, making way for Thales.

“This is Lord Putila Neman, from Ravenclaw, in the Western Wilderness. We used to study under the same tutor,” Gilbert introduced the unassuming forty-year-old man to Thales.

“Putilai once traveled half the world as a bard and has a deep knowledge of the geography of the continent and the customs of various countries. He also spent a long time in the North. Your Highness has complained to me that you do not know much about the basic situation of the world. I think Putilai would be a good choice. He will serve as your deputy envoy and your tutor, and travel north.”

“Putilay, this is the second prince, His Highness Thales—his intelligence will surprise you.”

Putila—the thin man, his face displeased, still raised his right fist to his chest and bowed to Thales.

“It’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to learn from you… Putile, may I call you that?” Thales returned the greeting with a smile.

"Of course, you're a prince, you can call me whatever you want." Putila shrugged indifferently, showing no excitement or respect for the only prince of the Star Kingdom.

“I’m sorry, he has a rather eccentric temperament, but I think you will admire his knowledge and rich experience,” Gilbert said to Thales with a smile, not at all worried that his old friend’s slight would offend the second prince.

Thales looked at the thin Putile in front of him, then at the high-top boots on his feet, his face expressionless, but he sighed deeply in his heart.

Fate.

It's him.

On the day Quaid went mad, the people from the Sixth House encountered a skinny man in high boots at the West Gate. He looked unpleasant and refused to give alms, so Ryan and Kelly gave him a "lesson" by taking the only card he had.

Access pass to the Starry Sky Library.

At the time, I thought he was some down-on-his-luck scholar.

Thales rolled his eyes where no one could see: "I'm sorry, Mr. Putila, your library pass is in some abandoned house in the lower town."

Gilbert led him to the next person.

He was a young man around twenty years old, with a sword at his waist, a resolute face and a tall, upright posture. His appearance was ordinary, but his eyes were sharp.

“This is the man Your Majesty and I have both chosen to serve as your attendant—whether in Exter in the North or upon your return in the Stars—he only just returned from the Tower of the End a few months ago,” Gilbert said, looking at the young man before him with a complex and unreadable expression in his eyes: “Wyatt Caso.”

Thales immediately realized what was happening and looked at Gilbert with a puzzled expression: "Caso?"

“Well, I hope this won’t offend you. After all, nepotism… But I assure you he is an elite who survived a rigorous selection process,” Gilbert sighed. “But he is indeed my son.”

The young man, Wyatt Castle, didn't even look at his father, but bowed respectfully to Thales: "Nice to meet you, Your Highness Thales."

"My sword and my wisdom are both at your disposal."

"For the rest of my life, I will serve you wholeheartedly."

Thales felt a little awkward. Was it really appropriate to start talking about "the rest of my life" and "a lifetime" right after meeting?
But he nodded back cheerfully, saying, "I've been relying on you all this way, Wyman."

Wyman bowed respectfully: "This life and this body are at your disposal."

Thales rolled his eyes inwardly again.

Gilbert is clearly very sociable, but what about his son...?

A bit... should I say serious or just stunned?

But he also sensed that Wyatt and Gilbert didn't seem to get along very well.

Is the father-son relationship strained?

Gilbert sighed and continued forward with Thales.

This time, when Thales saw the figure under the cloak, he exclaimed in surprise without any introduction:

"It's you!"

The petite figure under the cloak turned around, hands on hips.

"Yes," the other person said casually, neither respectful nor cold, but rather sincere: "It's me!"

Gilbert (who seemed to have been like this ever since meeting his son) said expressionlessly, “You should have seen this before. Like Yodl, she was one of His Majesty’s secret guards. His Majesty specifically transferred her out this time…”

"Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean by 'transfer'?! Kessel can't order me around!" The cloaked woman, her face concealed, interrupted Gilbert. She walked up to Thales without ceremony, looked at the dumbfounded prince, patted him on the shoulder with her left hand, and pointed her right thumb at herself:
"Kid, my name is Ada!"

"Eda?"

Thales was taken aback: "Ada Wong?"

"Boom!"

Under the grim gazes of Gilbert and the others, Ada gave Thales a hard knock on the head!
“What ‘Wong’! I’m not some Nightbringer from the Far East…” As Thales grimaced and scratched his head, she whistled, “Listen up, my name is Ada Lalacart Gisele…”

Ada seemed to have encountered some obstacle, and she frantically scratched her head for several seconds.

Finally, the cloaked woman lowered her hand helplessly and said dejectedly:
"Sigh, never mind, my name is too long, I sometimes can't even remember it... Just call me Eddard."

Thales stared at Ada in disbelief.

I felt that my previously serious outlook on life had been completely refreshed.

But... this feeling of being hit on the head... it feels so familiar.

Several familiar figures flashed before his eyes—he wondered how Yara and the other children were doing; he had only gotten some vague information from Morat.

“Ms. Ada,” Gilbert said, his face ashen, “next time, please be mindful of your behavior toward His Highness…”

Thales touched his head, which was gradually easing in pain, and noticed that although Gilbert was dissatisfied, he had no intention of holding him accountable.

So—he tacitly accepted the guy's right to knock the prince on the head?

“What’s wrong with that now!” Ada said, disgruntled. “Can’t I hit him? When I hit Mindis on the head back then, even Kayla didn’t dare to say anything…”

Thales's face stiffened, noticing that Gilbert did not refute him.

and many more.

Mindis? Kayla?

Which member of the royal family is it, Mindis?
Could Kayla be the ultimate expert in the royal family—Kayla Star, the "Wolf Enemy" from two hundred years ago?
Her voice sounded very young, but...

Thales looked up at Ada—just how old was she?
Thales forced a smile:

“Ms. Ada…hehe, you are really…very lively.”

"Yup!"

Ada, hidden under the cloak, seemed delighted, slamming her fist into her palm: "That's what my whole family says too!"

"That's why they kicked me out!"

Thales rolled his eyes without any attempt to hide it.

Gilbert coughed violently, attracting the attention of several carriages:

"Everyone, if there are no problems, we can work together on the road... I believe you all know the destination and mission of this trip."

“But if there are no further questions, let’s get in the carriage,” he called out. “His Majesty and the dukes are at the North Gate, waiting to see the delegation off.”

Jorah nodded, and the thirty Star Soldiers got to work.

Gilbert nodded to Thales and helped him into the carriage.

The prince's attendant, Wyatt Cassel, with a stern face, stared at the strangely dressed Rolf, but still followed the Wind Demon and the Second Prince into the same carriage, thanks to Thales's smiling face.

"Putilay!"

Gilbert called out to the thin man who was about to get on the bus.

Putila turned around expressionlessly.

Former Foreign Minister, Earl Gilbert Cassel, said solemnly, "I entrust the prince, and the future of the entire planet, to you."

"You've traveled half the world, from the Battle of Crystal City, the Year of Blood, the Desert War, the Alliance Civil War, the Steel and Tree Rebellion, to the Hambul Succession War in the Eastern Continent and the Nightfall War. You've witnessed countless wars and conflicts—you know how cruel they are, and your journey here is to quell the war on the stars..."

"That's enough!" Putile interrupted his old friend.

The thin man still wore an unhappy expression, but a glint of shrewdness shone in his eyes:
"I took it."

"The same as twelve years ago."

Note: Ada Wong is a popular character in the Resident Evil series of games. Of course, Thales' past life could not have known these things in depth; they were all instilled in him by someone.

Thank you to reader "Good names have all been taken by others 2" for the 100 Qidian coins!
Thank you to reader "The Battle of Burial Heaven" for the 10 Qidian Coins reward!
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(End of this chapter)