Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 82 The Cryer

“Your Highness! You are truly beloved among them—the people have not forgotten that it was the Star Kingdom and the Star Royal Family that ensured their prosperous lives.”

The speaker was Baron Limor, lord of four local villages, whose castle stood at the center. To the south, one could see the Central Territory's Avenue of Restoration, lined with yellow fallen leaves; to the north, the birch forests characteristic of the North stretched out before one's eyes.

This was their fourteenth morning on their journey north to Exter. They had stopped several times along the way to resupply, and if all went well, they would enter the North this afternoon and reach Dragonstalker Fortress by tomorrow night.

Baron Limor, though only in his thirties, was as obese as old Duke Cullen. The baron grinned so broadly his eyes disappeared as he warmly addressed His Highness Thales Starry Sky, the second prince of the Star Kingdom, surrounded by a large, smiling populace:
"The people eagerly await your arrival and feel immensely honored. The restoration of the Starry Sky Royal Family is truly a blessing from the Goddess of the Setting Sun," Baron Limo said with a smile, stroking his belly. "I believe that under Your Highness's rule, the future of Starry Sky will be even more prosperous and fulfilling, surpassing even the past!"

"After all, we are descendants of the empire!"

Thales walked through the spotless village, where even the snow had been swept away, maintaining a basic smile as he waved to the well-dressed villagers around him.

Beside him, Wyah, Jorah, and five of Stars’ private soldiers nervously separated him from the crowd, followed by Ada, whose listless gait was evident from her walk.

“We’d better leave immediately, Your Highness,” Jorah, the leader of the Star Guard, said earnestly. “That’s really not a good idea.”

“Indeed,” Wyatt stopped a country gentleman. “Your mission is to go on a diplomatic mission, not to inspect—you are merely passing through.”

Thales nodded, and in a fleeting moment, he made a few gestures that no one could understand in the distance.

【how?】

Wyatt frowned as he watched the prince's gesture.

He looked displeasedly in another direction of the village, and sure enough, Rolf's figure appeared at the right moment in a secluded spot in the distance, racking his brains to make two hand gestures back to Thales.

[The rest is all fake.]

fake.

Ugh.

Thales felt a pang of sadness and looked at the nearest child, who looked about seven or eight years old.

She's about the same age as him.

The child had dark skin and was so thin he was practically skin and bones. He was wrapped in a thick coat that was clearly too big for him, and his little hands were inside the sleeves, unable to come out. His eyes were full of fear and timidity, but he forced himself to put on a fake smile.

A middle-aged man with numb eyes laboriously waved his rough, deformed hands.

A timid woman wearing a headscarf and mismatched clothes, with the top clearly more in line with the popular styles in the capital.

An elderly man, nearing sixty, wearing a comical cloak that looked like something an aristocrat would use to avoid the rain, and only a thin pair of trousers, was shivering in a corner where no one could see him.

And then there's... a spotless village, with the whole village lining the streets to welcome them—Thales sighed and smiled at Baron Limore.

Do you think he's an idiot?

So, there's a Potemkin village in this world too.

“The resupply should be complete,” Thales made a gesture that no one else could understand towards Rolf in the distance, shook his head, and whispered to Wyah and Jorah, “Let’s go.”

Wyatt glared fiercely at Rolf, whose face was grim in the distance, before following Thales with Jorah.

He was clearly the second prince's attendant.

With Baron Limo's reluctant farewell and heartfelt thanks, the Star Kingdom's envoy caravan heading north to Exter prepared to depart.

"I thought you enjoyed the feeling of being adored by everyone."

The deputy envoy, Lord Putila, pulled out a pipe from somewhere, lit a cloud of unpleasant-looking smoke, and with a puff and a exhale, looked at the second prince with a mocking expression.

"Do not."

“I would much rather enjoy the kind of sincere, honest, and unpretentious support that comes from the heart,” Thales said with a smile as he accepted the water offered by the guard, “than watching them being forced by the lord to wear pre-prepared clothes, force their most deliberate smiles, and spout lies about their happy lives, to line the streets of a village that has been swept clean early in the morning, welcoming a prince they don’t actually like for no reason.”

Thales sighed softly: "Guess how many of them, with smiles on their faces, are actually filled with hatred for me, this prince who arrived so suddenly?"

“Not a single one,” Putila unexpectedly denied. “If I had to name one, it would probably be that fat baron.”

Thales raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t think too highly of yourself, Your Majesty the future king,” Putila exhaled a puff of smoke dismissively. “In many people’s eyes, the nine-pointed star is not as important as an ear of wheat.”

“Wheat can feed them, but what can the nine-pointed star do? Oh, there are some benefits,” Putila chuckled. “For example, the lord can feed them a full meal and give them some clothes he doesn’t want anymore, to give a proper welcome to a passing nine-pointed star heir.”

Thales's face was grave. Before getting into the carriage, he took one last look at the village on the border between the North and the Central Territory and couldn't help but say, "This is the intersection of the Revival Road and the Birch Forest. Specialties from the North and goods from the Central Territory all pass through here. There is no shortage of land and hunting grounds, but the people here are still so poor—is it due to excessive deductions, land issues, or heavy taxes?"

"Let's use a different word!"

“Baron Limor is one of the vassals of Earl Tarren, who pays taxes for the latter and responds to the call to arms. The Tarren family are distant relatives and supporters of the Starry Sky royal family. The reason why the villagers here are so poor, to be precise,” Putila snorted with sarcasm, “is because the rulers of the territory are too loyal to the monarch and too patriotic.”

Thales remained silent for ten seconds until Wyman interrupted his thoughts.

"Your Highness, that old soldier refuses to leave and is still following us."

Wyman pointed to a staggering figure behind him and sighed, "As you instructed, we've been providing him with supplies, but..."

“We’ve already passed the Taren family’s Ice City, but he doesn’t have any warm clothes. The further north we go…”

“If you ask me, we can hand him over to that baron,” Jorah said, touching his red hair. “That way we won’t have to worry about him starving or collapsing on the way.”

“You saw what he looked like. I guess that old soldier isn’t very good at dealing with nobles, and the Baron will probably just throw him in the dungeon,” Thales shook his head, looking at Jenard’s stubborn figure in the distance.

"And after all, he was... the personal guard of the late Duke John, and he was of the same lineage as Canxing."

Thales' eyes flickered as he thought of the former king's younger brother in the tomb.

[Star God of War, Liberator of Sodala, Duke of Star Lake, John L.K. Starlight, 613-660]

"Then let's take him with us."

Thales looked at his deputy with a puzzled expression.

Lord Puttila was annoyed to find his pipe had frozen out again. He frantically rummaged through his pockets, but Wyatt sighed, took out his flint, and stepped forward.

"If you ask me, with such perseverance, following us on foot for half a month—thank you, you saved my life—if you're not the most loyal subordinate, you're the most dangerous enemy."

Putila lit his pipe, glanced at the very back of the caravan, at the carriage carrying a coffin, and said disdainfully:
"Whichever one it is, you have a reason to bring him in and put him under your observation and control—after all, you have all sorts of things in your smoky convoy, don't you?"

Thales frowned, pretending not to hear Putila complaining to him about his vampire companions: "Loyal subordinates and dangerous enemies—I don't want to risk betting on either one."

“It’s hard to say,” Puttier said, taking a deep drag of his cigarette and closing his eyes contentedly. “Sometimes, it’s possible that both are true.”

Thales rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Your Highness, that old soldier?" Wyatt asked tentatively.

Thales pondered for a moment, then suddenly strode toward the veteran of the Starshine Legion, with Rolf following silently behind.

Wyatt paused for a moment, then quickly caught up with the second prince. At the same time, he glanced displeased at the Wind-Walking Ghost, and after passing him, he unconsciously took a step forward, becoming the person closest to the prince.

Wyatt felt that his position as a squire was being seriously threatened by this silver-masked man who needed a prosthetic leg to walk.

For example, the sign language that only he and the prince could understand.

"Veteran!" Thales called out from afar, "What's your name?"

Jenard, shivering in the cold, looked up and saw the nine-pointed star embroidered on Thales's body, and his eyes lit up.

He recalled the scene from years ago when the lazy, middle-aged duke first came out of the barracks and bumped into him head-on.

Duke.

“Jay, Jenard,” he stammered.

“Still not giving up, is that it?” Thales narrowed his eyes. “But you know, I can’t let you come with us—you were sent by Jann Kevin Deer, and I don’t trust him.”

Jenard was taken aback, and quickly explained, "I'm not with them, I was captured by them... I don't know why they sent me here..."

“But you’ve been following me for over ten days, why?” Thales interrupted him, staring straight at Jenard’s face: “Give me a reason to believe you.”

Jenard stared blankly at Thales.

That’s right.

He was never a duke.

He won't believe me.

If it were a duke, he would probably smile mysteriously, pat him on the shoulder, generously tell him to get some food, and then leave with the words, "I'll be watching you," before leaving with peace of mind.

But it is precisely because of the Duke's personality that... that...

The veteran, in his thirties, gritted his teeth and raised his head:

"On the way here, I heard from my captors that Your Highness—you are going to Exter? To use your life to quell the anger and hatred of the Northerners?"

Thales stared at him without saying a word.

Jenard, arms crossed and trembling, said, "Please let me follow you, follow the Nine-Pointed Star."

Thales did not speak.

While Jenard was feeling uneasy, His Highness the Second Prince slowly began to speak.

“I heard,” Thales exhaled, “that you were once a member of the Starshine Legion, a bodyguard of Duke John—my father’s uncle?”

Jenard's eyes dimmed.

"Yes." And I let him down.

“If it’s for the sake of loyalty to your comrades in the Starshine Legion,” Thales said coldly, “you can go back to the capital and serve my father and King Kessel.”

“I have served him in the capital for twelve years,” said Jenard, looking travel-worn and panting, as he looked at Thales. “And now, I have nowhere to go.”

Yes.

When the Starshine Legion disbanded, most of its members followed their captain to Dragonslayer Fortress, where they fought three bloody battles against the Exter people. After the Treaty was signed, they continued to guard the borders of the stars in the bitter cold.

But he didn't go.

He wanted to stay in the capital and continue serving the Nine-Pointed Star and the Brilliant Star family.

To atone for one's sins.

but……

That Kessel...

Jenard smiled sadly as he recalled his twelve years of indifferent service with the city's defense team.

Thales looked at him and sighed deeply.

“Go find Jorah—the redhead,” Thales said, pursing his lips as Jenard looked on in surprise. “Since you’re a veteran, let him assign you a position—the mission can’t leave behind useless people.”

Jenard trembled as he approached Thales.

He shuddered, and two streams of hot tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes.

Thales was startled; he couldn't stand such scenes and quickly turned to leave.

This time, Wyman followed closely, not forgetting to glance at Rolf.

But Rolf looked at the old soldier with tears in his eyes.

Yet another lost soul?
Just like me.

Thales walked further and further away.

If he was John's bodyguard, if he had fought in those wars.

Thales thought to himself: Then he must have personally experienced the truth behind the bloody year.

The truths I want to know.

The second prince boarded the carriage without a word, and the caravan continued its journey, leaving the Avenue of Rejuvenation and entering the birch forests unique to the North.

As the convoy carrying the cross and stars finally reached the edge of the birch forest the following evening, heavy snow began to fall, turning everything around into a silvery white.

“Please be mindful of the temperature, Your Highness. From now on,” Wyatt lit a torch in the fire the guards had lit as they stopped to rest, and approached Thales, who was rubbing his hands in the cold, “unlike the capital, the snow that never melts will become the norm.”

"You've been here before?" Thales gratefully accepted the warm torch and exhaled a breath of hot air.

“Not only did I come here,” Wyman chuckled. “The Tower of the End is located in the mountains north of the Great Desert, southwest of the border between Exter and the Commas Alliance. At that time, the Desert War was raging, and the road to the Western Wilderness was impassable, so I had to detour through Exter from the North to report to the Tower of the End.”

Just as Thales, whose interest and curiosity had been piqued, was about to ask further questions, Putilai approached.

“It’s colder than usual this year, and Dragonbreaker Fortress will be even colder than here,” Lord Putilai said, picking up a handful of the thin layer of snow on the ground. His expression turned serious. “It’s both good news and bad news.”

"How so?" Thales, who knew little about the North and Exter, humbly inquired of the obviously knowledgeable but never polite deputy.

"The good news is that the unusually cold weather in the north will arrive earlier than usual. No matter how skilled the Exter people are at winter warfare, they will not be able to mobilize a large army to deploy or besiege a fortress in such freezing weather—their supply lines will collapse due to the extreme cold."

“The bad news is,” Putile pondered, “that if Lombard wants to take Dragonbane Fortress, these next few days are the last chance.”

Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

“Yes, my prince, Dragonbreaker Fortress is not far away—if you still wish to end the war and not just enjoy the scenery,” Putila said, snatching Thales’ torch without hesitation and extinguishing it in the snow, amidst the grim faces of Wya and Rolf. “You’d better hurry on your way!”

Just then, the cloaked woman who had been listless and her secret bodyguard, Ada, suddenly sat up with a start!

“Um—someone—” Ada stammered as she brushed the snow off her clothes.

But she was immediately interrupted.

"Enemy attack!"

From afar, a voice roared angrily!

It was the voice of that veteran—Jenard.

Thales suddenly stood up, but Wyatt and Rolf were faster than him. One drew his blade, and the other shielded him tightly behind him!
"Jora!" Putila called out calmly.

"Form ranks!" Jorah roared, and the thirty Star Guardians shouted back, drawing their swords and forming a wall of shields, surrounding Thales and forming the Star Array, famous throughout the stars.

But Thales—who was flanked by two men, the attendant and the Wind-Walking Ghost—looked around in bewilderment at the birch forest at dusk.

Where is the enemy?

The next moment, he no longer had any doubts.

The shadowy figure appeared eerily behind almost every tree in the vicinity in an instant.

There are at least twenty.

Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

He had seen this kind of sudden movement technique before.

It's like skipping frames in an animation.

The guards of the Radiant Star, as if facing a formidable enemy, lit torches and teleported to several key points of the circular formation to provide illumination.

The firelight illuminated the surroundings.

One by one, figures dressed in magnificent robes and armor (both of which appeared on each person) emerged from the dim forest, men and women alike, each with a tall, handsome and extraordinary figure.

But everyone stared at them with sharp, cold eyes.

It was as if he were looking at prey that was doomed to die.

"Who goes there!" Putila drew a sword and held a torch, calmly shouting.

Under the astonished gazes of all the Star People, a slender and graceful figure walked forward slowly and quietly.

That's a woman.

The first woman Thales saw after his time travel was a woman of breathtaking beauty.

What's that saying—breathtakingly beautiful?
She wore a well-tailored black dress that perfectly accentuated her figure. Her face was gentle, her hair was silvery, and her purple eyes seemed to glisten with tears, making her all the more endearing.

If this were located on Red Town Street, it would be someone only a nobleman of duke rank would ever see.

Then, this lovely beauty, whose age was hard to guess, slowly opened her cherry-like lips.

Despite her undeniably endearing appearance, she spoke coldly and mechanically, like a robot:
"Everyone, stay well."

"Under..."

"Cortrina van Corleone".

“My enemies all like to call me the Weepper.”

Everyone's breath caught in their throats for a moment.

Thales immediately looked behind him at the carriage carrying the black coffin, his expression filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Corleone?
Cortina?

The weeper?
that is not……

But everything continues.

This beautiful woman in black, with an innocent and endearing appearance, spoke slowly, her watery eyes sparkling, her voice as chilling as a bone-chilling wind:
"I now command you."

"Hand over my sister."

"And then all of it..."

Her eyes flashed with anger, and she pressed her hands to her abdomen.

"Here he rests in eternal rest."

The next chapter will be available for purchase.

My thoughts on the release are in the "related to the work" section.

Because Wu Jian has a habit of uploading and then revising the text, pirated versions that are stolen immediately will be very different from the original.

I was out and about all day and didn't get to sit down until after nine o'clock.

The quality of this chapter is somewhat poor, and I'm not very satisfied with it. I'll probably make some minor revisions tomorrow.

Thank you—well, I really can't scroll through all the donation records from so many readers. Anyway, thank you to readers "Undetermined Number", "Good Names Have All Been Taken by Others 2" (this is our group's top female escort), "Second Perspective", "Adil Emir", and "Flame Hammering Destiny" for their donations!

There was also a review vote from a mysterious person (I really can't remember or find your ID)!

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(End of this chapter)