Someone is watching him.
The emperor ascended the steps, and the gargoyles on the arch obscured the fountain below. Seen from above, it is as small as a fingernail and is obscured by leaves even in open areas. The cold wind poured into the corridor and lifted his cloak, clearly revealing the emperor's position. This is a dark gray deerskin cloak from the late emperor's wardrobe. He still remembered the feeling of the fat spilling over his fingers when he peeled off the animal's skin with his own hands. He later gave the trophies to his father to express his admiration. But unfortunately, my father had never worn it, and recently every time the Queen Mother saw him dressed like this, she would frown, bite her lower lip, and then shed a tear or two. She weeps more for Selegon, the Emperor thought.
He thought it was someone looking up from below, but he didn't expect that he was still looking at him after crossing the corridor. The emperor glanced at the gap in the railing and didn't pay much attention.
After all, being in the spotlight is perfectly normal. As an emperor, he has long been accustomed to being the center of attention. Ever since he appeared, everyone would only look at him, try to figure out his thoughts, and observe his expressions in order to please him. For small nobles with low status, this is the way to survive, but for the princes who rule one side, pleasing the emperor is just a means. They have countless means, all in order to seize power, to weaken their enemies, and to occupy the land and the cities on the land. They had other motives for currying favor, and he should be wary of that.
But he is also used to such vigilance. The person who wears the crown must always be careful and wary of anyone, including blood relatives. Then he began to understand his father. The emperor hadn't seen the queen mother in a long time, let alone his sister, which was actually a good thing, but the problem was that they didn't come to see him either.
The entire court was not surprised by this. After the Selegon rebellion was suppressed, his brother's followers were wiped out, and the land and army were taken over by the emperor. The Knights of Silver Song patrolled Malandeno for more than half a month. The heads of those who rebelled against the party were piled up in mountains and hung on the city gate by the executioner. They attract thick clouds of crows. The emperor saw it once with his own eyes, and then sent people to throw most of them off the city wall. Deterrence is enough, leaving more heads would be disgusting. It's like I have a preference for their heads.
The emperor had already walked to the study, but his eyes still followed him. Two knights were guarding here, although he knew that this was unnecessary. The Emperor has a new study, and he usually doesn't like to revisit old places...but it does come in handy sometimes.
"Her Majesty the Queen Mother is inside." The knight reported the situation in a low voice, "She did not allow anyone to enter. As for Her Majesty the Princess, she has never come."
I'm afraid Helen is busy romancing the bard, the emperor thought, I should have talked to her about Styx. News about Sterling, which had been one of his few pleasures, had now become a source of anxiety. "Ask the cupbearer to bring you figs and sweet wine," the emperor ordered. The knights were ordered to leave.
But the emperor had no such illusion that eating could save the Queen Mother from being haggard. As soon as he opened the door, he saw her kneeling on the carpet, her head leaning on the balcony railing. He walked gently behind his mother and looked at the scenery she was staring at. The view here is as wide as ever. "You can see the school grounds from here," he commented.
"I was here to watch you fight." The queen mother remained motionless. "Selegon knocked your sword away, but you refused to admit defeat. Before the instructor could stop you, you knocked out one of his teeth with your fist."
"He chewed my hand like a bone," McAdam told her of what she didn't see. "So I threw away the sword and let him chew it, and taught him the lesson: you have to make sure the food is strong before you eat it."
"I don't know how to fight." The Queen Mother was born into a noble family and became a queen when she reached adulthood. Mike knew exactly what she was capable of. It was just a practice at first, and real fighting didn't involve teeth, fists, or swords...at least he didn't use them.
After the sweet wine was delivered, my mother turned her head away indifferently, seeming to get rid of the memories. "How is Hetty?"
"She went back to Grainstone City."
"That means I can't see the child?"
The emperor frowned. "If you want, you can take Helen to Grainstone City for vacation. But I suggest you go there in the summer. It's very cold in the south now. Do you think I will hurt her?"
"You have no idea what I thought. But I do know you, Mike. Tell me the truth."
"I will only tell you the truth, mother," the emperor replied, "Hetty was not buried with Selegon, but she was still young and her father planned to find her a loyal new husband."
"You always manage to make everything fall into place."
"I know you don't like Hetty." The emperor didn't care about her ridicule, "Now that you can think of asking me, you have made enough progress."
The Queen Mother held the cup. "How dare you talk to me like that?"
"If you really knew me, this would not be a question. I should say anything to anyone, and the tone of my voice would depend on my mood. I am your emperor, mother. Please remember that."
Mike quickly stood up and avoided the cup thrown by his mother. Purple juice slid down the hanging painting and seeped into the legs of the bookshelf. He is no longer an apprentice prince on the school field. Now he is in his prime years. He has conquered the neighboring country Saint Valoran as the Knight of Silver Song, and has made great achievements in the mysterious way. The Queen Mother is just a mortal, and her noble birth cannot change her mysterious talent. Otherwise, how could there be such a special case as a "winner"?
"You are too sad during this time, mother. The intense emotions are harmful to the body." He took the fruit plate from the queen mother's hand to prevent her from cutting herself. "I want to send you to the north and live in the Top Hat Mansion."
"Are you going to kick me out, Mike?"
"I would rather you pray to the statue in the Whispering Tower. But this is what Helen proposed. She should be the one to convince you today, not me."
"Helen?" the Queen Mother repeated, "Why?"
"I didn't care." Mike confessed, "Maybe she wanted to extend her honeymoon. In short, since you have decided, I have arranged the guards..."
"You don't have to worry about it, Your Majesty." But the Queen Mother suddenly interrupted him, "I personally choose the entourage. I have the right to choose the Silver Song Knight, right?"
The emperor laid out the plates nonchalantly. "Of course you do, Mom. You're my family."
"I definitely don't need to pick our leader."
"On the contrary. Veronca will not leave Malandeno, I need his help." When the cabinet formulates a battle plan for Alanvo, it is completely inseparable from the opinions and even decisions of the "winner". Mike didn't need to hide these things from the Queen Mother, but he remembered the eyes following him all the way, so he subconsciously avoided the details of assistance. "Besides him, you can choose anyone."
The Queen Mother stared at Mike and suddenly laughed loudly. There were still tears on her face, which made the smile look frightening. The emperor's eyebrows furrowed even more tightly. "Okay. I want your personal guard."
"Then little Fogeldal——"
"Joy." The name was like cold water poured on his head. The Queen Mother continued speaking to herself: "I have something to ask him, so I just asked him to accompany me. This man is your personal guard and a knight of Silver Song, right?"
"That's true," Mike said slowly, "but I guess he's been unable to get away lately. What are you going to ask him?"
"What are you asking? Joey was Elber's bodyguard when he was assassinated."
"The church has screened them."
"I don't trust that old man!"
Mike took a deep breath. "That old man is the archbishop appointed by the three gods, mother. Since you are willing to pray for others in the church, you shouldn't be suspicious of the gods." He didn't want to waste any more time. "I'm sorry that I can't comply with your request, mother. I will leave these trivial matters to Helen to consider. You need to rest."
"I need the truth!"
"You just refuse to accept the truth!" snapped the Emperor. He startled the Queen Mother, and you could see it in her expression. I shouldn't be angry at her... "It seems that your trip has to be advanced. The nightingales in Marandino have not been driven away completely, and there are always people gossiping in your ears. But no matter what they say, I hope you can stand On my side. Besides Selegon, you have other sons, living sons. Don't you?" Mike hurriedly walked out of the study, not wanting to see her sad face again.
Tonight the emperor dined with his new prime minister, and the chef prepared roast swan and fish-skin pie, served with bread slathered with cheese sauce. Mike cut open the pie with a fork, and a fragrant and sweet mist emerged from the pulp. He had never seen this dish before, so it must be the chef's new idea.
Bernard Stirling raved about it. "Mystery can completely change the world." He chewed the fish skin. "As long as we combine creativity, nothing will be a problem."
“A chef’s creativity cannot be separated from the stove.”
"No way, he has been in this business his whole life. People have their own position and are destined to work hard for it. Mysterious creatures are all like this." The wizard tore off a piece of bread, "Only the truth belongs to everyone. My experiment is in Explore on this basis..."
"I don't know anything about your ridiculous experiment - in fact, I even know how much water you drink every day! What I care about is the finished product... Now I want to say another thing." The emperor used He interrupted the wizard's nonsense with an extremely impatient tone. "Who did you reveal the news to? The Queen Mother actually asked me for help!"
"It's not difficult to satisfy her request... Well, who does she want, Your Majesty?"
"Joy." The emperor said the name unhappily, his voice full of chill. The wizard didn't seem to understand, he was probably pretending to be stupid.
"Her Majesty the Queen Mother has a noble status, how can she recognize a nobody?"
"She remembered that he was..." As he spoke, he somehow felt like someone was watching. Mike lowered his voice subconsciously and scanned the hall. He did not invite other ministers, and there were only servants here: musicians strumming the strings at the foot of the steps, acrobats competing with two hoops; the young waiter, who came from a certain frontier family, was staring at the latter intently. Look. They are all mortal. Who is spying? "Elber died in his bedroom. The Quicksilver Temple has sentenced the assassin... I don't know why she was suddenly interested in the guard."
The music muffled the coda, but the Prime Minister clearly knew what the Emperor meant. Sterling licked his lips and picked up a cherry with his knife. The juice dripped down the handle of the knife and into the fingers. "How should I put it?" He spoke softly, "Although there is no evidence, if you ask me, I'm afraid our Prince is more suspicious."
"Veronca?"
"The erring knight - Rego - he was called to talk by our Prince before. You don't understand, Your Majesty, he actually took people directly out of the custody of the temple! The prestige of the Judgment Agency and Gaia Where are they? The Knights of Silver Song have interfered in the internal affairs of the church, which is not a good sign."
That's because you touched his man, Mike thought. This idiot used his so-called achievements to seduce the Silver Song Knight without his permission. Naturally, Veronka couldn't sit back and let his knights be fooled. In the final analysis, Rego is just an attempt by Sterling to install Nightingale in the Silver Song Knights. Whether it succeeds or not, there is no need to trick him.
In fact, this person is indeed overwhelmed with responsibility. Mike only taught him to stand at the foot of the steps for half an hour, and then he poured out Mortus's experience and the matter of finding information for the prince. Maybe he's not to blame. After all, loyalty to the emperor is the instinct of the Silver Song Knight. Joey is a special case and more cannot be expected.
The Crown has brought countless conveniences to Mike, but there are fewer and fewer people he can truly trust. I have an entire empire to take care of, and he's ready for it... but others haven't changed their minds yet. Since the wedding accident, the wizard has been keen to slander every stranger in the court. Even if Mike handed him the position of prime minister and the entire cabinet, it could not dispel Sterling's suspicion.
But even so, I have to listen to his information. "How much did you tell him?"
"Not much. He thought the bastard was a deserter."
"So simple?" Although the "winner"'s thoughts are easy to guess, he is by no means a fool. Mike frowned and looked at the Prime Minister, suspecting that the damn wizard didn't care about this matter at all, just stayed in the laboratory, and ended up teasing him. "I heard he sent people to Alanwo, Sterling." It wasn't just hearsay. Now that things have happened, Mike naturally doesn't need to hide the fact that Rego has turned to him. Of course, the wizard did not dare to ask questions about this. "They found Joey even before you did! You better explain this to me."
"So what if you find them? The Silver Song Knights are not professional nightingales, they are useless."
"Then let me see what you can do."
The wizard dropped his knife and fork under his gaze. "Since His Majesty's instructions, I have searched through the documents related to the contract, and finally found the mystery of the location... The bastard is indeed alive, but he has been heading south. I have tried my best to keep an eye on him... It’s just that Parsur is traveling with him, and with her around, I can’t show up at will, lest our connection be exposed.”
"Parsur?" Mike no longer remembers this name.
"The former Saint of Blue. She was the hostage lost by the association when we were in Mortus."
Mike was startled. "How did these two people get together?"
"No one knows. At that time, I thought he was dead... Now, according to my observation, they probably have a close relationship. Women have their own capital."
It is true that the relationship between men and women often reaches this point, but Joey and the Blue Saint... there is no basis for coexistence between them, let alone development. Except, Joey is still keeping the secret. The emperor remained calm: "Your goal was achieved first, Sterling. But will the woman share her secret?"
"I thought so." The wizard wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and seemed to be getting ready to leave the table. "But... Your Majesty, I think she has learned about us earlier."
Anger came from his heart, welling up on his forehead, but then receded like a tide. Mike felt unnaturally relaxed. After Joey disappeared, the secret of his whereabouts was like an unresolved stone weighing on the bottom of his heart, and now he is freed. After the power struggle of Malandeno is completely over, it can decide nothing. Selegon has died under the judgment. I am the only one qualified to bear the crown. The Three Gods Have Eyes, aren’t I already wearing it?
"Did you hear them discussing this?" Mike put down his glass gently. The waiter saw him and was about to come over, but he waved him away.
The Prime Minister was not as calm as he was. This person was on pins and needles, his eyes were wandering, and his response to Mike's question was half a beat too slow. "Indeed... no." It seemed that he realized how easily this lie could be exposed on Joey's head. "There were times when they were separated, Your Majesty. The Saint of Cang admitted that she knew about the wedding——"
"Admit it personally? Have you communicated with her?"
"She's out of our hands and I think she's more dangerous."
"What do you think?" Mike looked at him, "I asked you to find Joey. Why did you contact that woman? After they separated, you should find him as soon as possible!"
"I tried, Your Majesty, but Parsul undoubtedly has special magic that can cut off contact. I am convinced that she did it." Bernard explained, "That woman is a First Source."
Mike heard about this for the first time: "Primary Source?"
"In Mortus, I compared her fire with that of other people - I mean the prisoners of the Order - and they all have similar characteristics for the most part. Of course, the most obvious one is her profession." The wizard spoke again to his experiments.
"The Blue Saint must be a forest profession."
"Parsur is different. Ordinary Windrunners also need to rely on magic to identify directions, but she doesn't need it. This is one of the innate advantages of the Origin."
"Inferior talent." The emperor commented.
"The gifts of the gods are never equal." Bernard said matter-of-factly, "I have never seen any Primeval who has the same mysterious talent as your Majesty. You are a born king."
"Say something useful," the emperor ordered.
"As you wish, Your Majesty. Does the contract determine Joey's location?"
Mike's fingers unconsciously slid over the edge of the table. "Okay, okay, but..." But he didn't trust this unsubstantiated feeling. "It's time for your nightingale to send back the message."
"Rego is dead, and so is the other knight. I expected that bastard to be merciful to his colleagues, and specially selected his acquaintances." The wizard shrugged, "In the end, if this thing hadn't happened, Joey would have been the one. A qualified Nightingale. He doesn't like the Silver Song Knight at all. As long as there are no groups of pursuers or Veronka goes there in person, it will be useless for the lone knight." Having said this, the wizard was quite proud. After all, Joey is his works. "The Sky Realm profession brings extraordinary mystery to the carrier, which is what we need."
"You'd better test the results on your enemies, don't leave it to your own people." Mike warned. With the contract in place, the emperor doesn't need to worry, but the people under his command will be quite dangerous. I'm already very short of manpower. "Since the Silversong Knight doesn't work, maybe it's time to try faith. I asked Rhaego to bring him a gospel book. If you can't do it, Bernard, I'll ask the astrologer to do it."
"The connection of the contract goes far beyond object divination." The wizard said flatly. "I will never disappoint your expectations, Your Majesty." He promised again and again, "When he comes back, my research will be successful."
"how long?"
"It will take no more than a week in total. You will soon be able to make use of the talents given by the gods. By then, Alanvor will follow the footsteps of Saint Valoran."
The emperor nodded casually. The Silver Song Knights could do the same thing, and he knew it full well. Stirling was unaware of the true significance of his experiment, and the Emperor was pleased to see its results. When that day comes, I can even get rid of the constraints of the Three Gods Religion... That day is not far away.
The error-free chapters of "Floating Cloud Train" will continue to be updated.
