The afternoon meeting of the city lords ended with an unfinished debate, because Lord Tielin, who had been acting unscrupulously when he first came here, seemed to really intend to ignore the city lord's attitude and say what he said. The word "surveillance" was carried out to the end - since he sat down in his seat, other throne holders gathered from all over the Free City also arrived at this place one by one, as if they had also received some news. As if rushing to attend this meeting, the City Lord, who had lost a certain mood, sat back in his original position without saying a word, allowing Reiner and Tielin to lead this meeting that was not originally a meeting of the City Lords. Duan Qing, who had retreated to the side early, was just like an uninvolved passerby, witnessing the arrival of one big shot after another.
"Mr. Phillips has an audience!"
"Lord Stark comes to see you!"
"President Edouin has come to see you!"
"Clan leader Huskar has come to pay homage!"
As a result, in the end... I didn't see the true face of the city lord.
Looking at the eerie figure belonging to Jialuo who appeared at the bottom of the stone steps, Duan Qing shook his head helplessly, then quietly left the hall where the atmosphere became increasingly weird, and retreated along the way he came. Got out. The air on the garden corridor returned to normal with the change of environment, bringing the cold wind of late autumn back to Duan Qing. He smiled helplessly, and then looked at the man who was still lying beside him. The police officer with a cowboy hat on his face said: "... Mr. Ricas."
"...Uh oh, it's over?"
The police officer who seemed to have really fallen asleep reached out and took off his sun-blocking wide-brimmed hat, blinked his eyes that had not yet adapted to the sunlight, and then looked at Duan Qing's face with a sleepy look: "I thought you were going to I’ll be working in there all afternoon.”
"It's not that exaggerated." Duan Qing replied with a wry smile: "Since Tielin arrived, the city lord seems to be less interested in continuing the conversation, so this meeting..."
"Hey, did you quit without even saying a word?"
"Well, I guess with the generosity of the city lord, he won't care about my behavior, right?"
"Who told you to care about the city lord's attitude? I want you to pay attention to your own attitude! Did you show your weakness first when you met those guys who are holding on to the throne?"
The police officer in the sun waved the cowboy hat in his hand, and his dull sleepy eyes widened: "You are the person brought in by my officer, that is, my subordinate. Even if your temper is not violent enough, you must at least show enough A tough stance! If you still don’t understand... Just brush your sense of existence. Do you know the sense of existence? Is it okay to leave a few harsh words? A person like you who walks away with his tail between his legs without saying a word, in the freedom Cheng... will only be translated as cowardice!"
"Well……"
As if he didn't follow the opponent's thoughts at all, Duan Qing, whose mouth twitched, just smiled dryly and listened to the police officer's impromptu admonishment. At the same time, he pushed his hands to try to block the spittle flying from the opposite side. The guards around him seemed to be accustomed to such a scene. , had no intention of stopping these two people from making a loud noise, so until someone appeared behind them, the excited police officer didn't seem to notice it: "I said..."
"Did you misunderstand something?"
"...Why did you come out too?"
Likas turned his head, and the expression on his face calmed down like water: "Isn't there no need to fight a cold war inside?"
"It's still about the Throne War, and there won't be any result in the end anyway." Joel, who had silver-white hair, smiled helplessly and looked around Duan Qing's body: "So... early on Running out is definitely the right decision."
"...Are you praising yourself?" Ricas looked at the other party sideways.
"Of course not. After all, this little brother escaped earlier than me."
With one hand on his waist, the seemingly strong old man looked at Duan Qing's face, and his voice became lower: "I have already heard about you coming to see the city lord. From what you want to say, Look...it's really not a good choice to talk about this in front of so many people."
"...How did you know?" Duan Qing asked in surprise: "The conversation between me and the city lord just happened not long ago, right?"
"Fenya told me the process quietly."
In the center of the corridor under the sun, the old hunter with white hair and beard showed a tired smile. While he stretched out his hand to block the dazzling light, he looked up at the patterned roof and pillars around him: "To be honest, the current situation of the city lord is... It is indeed very difficult. Not only do we have to deal with the tigers and wolves like us, but we also have to beware of possible traitors. The rise of the Restorationists has indeed stirred up a bit of panic among us. Your arrival at this time has indeed given rise to Our current situation brings more variables.”
"No matter how small the principality you represent is, it is still a country with millions of people and countless adventurers." Speaking of this, Old Joel sighed: "And we... are just a city."
"When Free City was founded, it should have had a lot of navy, right?" Duan Qing asked in a low voice: "Coupled with the private soldiers under your Twelve Thrones, it should be a force that cannot be underestimated..."
"It seems you know a lot?" Old Joel glanced at Duan Qing again: "The old navy has been exhausted in a long time. After all, they have no battles to fight at all. As for our private Soldiers...hehe, they are very experienced in dealing with their own people, but if they are used against opponents like the Restorationists..."
"Everyone must have heard about the outcome of the Battle of Kalon Pass." Lycas, who was lying on the side, took out a cigarette from nowhere and held it in his mouth: "What happened next? Everyone also knows that the principality has no achievements in dealing with those guys who have inherited the mantle of the ancient magic empire."
"What's more, they came here much earlier than you." Old Joel pointed at Duan Qing and said: "Since they have come into contact with most of us, as the true owners of the Free City Those who... must have been in contact with the city lord and others."
"Huh..." Duan Qing let out a long sigh: "The Restorationists and the City of Freedom...just thinking about the contents of the negotiations between them is enough to make me tremble."
"So our current hesitation was not formed in a day or two." Old Joel said lightly: "The city lord has been testing us. Why haven't we been testing the city lord all the time? Once something happens due to some misunderstanding Trade movement... no one can bear the final result."
"More than a month has passed, and you still have no conclusion?" Duan Qing asked helplessly: "I guess the restorers can't wait any longer, right?"
"The key is whether someone has betrayed us in advance, that is, the existence of a traitor."
Not knowing what he was thinking of, Old Joel looked at the left and right sides of the garden corridor calmly: "Without knowing the attitude of the city lord, we can only fight for our own interests. After all, in the Free City, there is no one step ahead." Shen... what awaits us is most likely death. The fate of Rondoll and Tristan has been merciful beyond our expectations, but this does not mean that the rest of us can continue to survive in the struggle between the two sides. Come down."
"There is no concept of 'subordinates' in the world of the strong." Ricas blew out a smoke ring: "Of course there is no such thing as soldiers. In their eyes... as long as you have the power to control everyone, everything else None of it matters."
"So we have no choice but to maintain the superficial struggle situation and try to maintain the existence of loopholes. We hope that this can give the secret traitor enough space to clearly stand in front of the city lord while revealing his identity." Old Joel said cryptically. He smiled and said: "At that time... all judgments will be issued, and all situations... will become clear."
"...Is this your method?" Duan Qing twitched his lips slightly: "So you are not only a cunning gang leader, but also a group of actors? If the Oscars still exist, they all owe you a statuette... "
"Oscar? Who is that?"
"Ah... no, just think I'm talking nonsense."
Waving his hand helplessly, Duan Qing put the joke aside, then lowered his head and gradually fell into deep thought: "In other words... your confrontation with Tielin was all fake?"
"No, the grudges between us all exist." Old Joel replied casually: "The grudge between Silver Fox Phillips and Kingslayer Gallo has been around for a long time. Edouin of the Chias Alliance has indeed They also took away Huska's territory. That guy Tielin didn't like Fenya for a day or two. Even Stark, who had just entered the city, also occupied a lot of businesses on the opposite side... We just For these reasons, we are just continuing our previous confrontation. As for who is the one with the real problem, no one can tell now."
"Including the city lord?"
"Yes, including Lord Reiner who has always remained neutral."
Pointing to the top of the stone steps behind them, Old Joel deliberately lowered his voice: "Since we have not become the holders of the throne, he has been one of the members of the Twelve Thrones. It can be said that the origin of this person is The unknown silver and black knight... is the one who has stood on this throne for the longest time."
"So I should be glad that I didn't finish my words before?" Duan Qing sighed: "Judging from the information you gave, everyone here seems to have a problem..."
"At least we can use the elimination method now." Ricas on the side spread his hands: "Kingslayer Jialuo should be able to be excluded, because the city lord did not punish him in the end. Of course there may be some transactions behind this, but... ...If he really betrayed the Free City, the Lord of the City would not have spared him so simply."
"But his subsequent actions are also very suspicious." Old Joel continued: "Judging from the recent intelligence, it seems that he has been directing the adventurers under his command to move around, and of course the killer army under him is also , has been active in the city since this time..."
"Wait a minute, you mean the Killer Legion?" Duan Qing hurriedly interrupted the other party: "Are they the ones who have been causing trouble for me recently?"
"Interfering with you?" Old Joel and Ricas turned their heads at the same time: "What does this mean?"
"Some people have been assassinating me recently. Their skills are pretty good, but I still deal with them one by one..."
"Is that so? In which area?"
"It's happened in every area, so many that I can't even count them..."
"Next time something like this happens, remember to call the police first. I, Licas, promise that if such a brat appears around you again, none of them will be able to escape..."
"We believe in you, adventurer."
Time passed slowly in the simplest exchange of information, and finally stopped as the changes gradually came from the City Lord's Hall above. The two major figures in the Free City in front of Duan Qing also left their last messages: "Your Strength and luck have already been demonstrated to us once before in the battle by the river around the city. I believe you will be able to handle the next challenge better. If you need any help, you can also come to me. Joel and others, in the name of freedom... I and my fellow travelers will provide you with appropriate assistance."
"Thank you in advance, Mr. Joel." Duan Qing bowed slightly: "I will try my best."
"If you have any difficulties, you can come to me. If you can't find me, you can also leave a message to the bartender of the previous tavern." Ricas, who climbed up from the stone railing, also stretched and then turned around. Facing the direction of the stone steps: "I won't accompany you out today. I have other things to deal with. Anyway, there are people waiting for you outside, so you don't need me to take you back..."
"Ah?" Duan Qing looked at the other person's back in confusion: "There is still someone waiting for me outside? What is that..."
"Hey, Ricas!"
A high-pitched curse appeared in the commotion above the stone steps, interrupting Duan Qing's question: "How dare you capture the men of our Chias Alliance? What do you want to do?"
"Perform my duties, Eduin, those people are suspected of kidnapping, murder, and gang fighting..."
"When did you stretch your hand so long? And it happened to be on my head? Did someone feed you the heart of a mountain bear? Or the bile of a leopard in the Creek Forest?"
"Why, where do I want to stretch my hand...do I still need your order? Or do you want to use gold coins to prove their innocence like last time?"
Looking at Licas and Eduin arguing in front of the stone steps, Duan Qing, who had retreated to the side early, smiled bitterly and shook his head. In the end, he had no choice but to turn around and walked towards the gate of the City Lord's Mansion. past. From time to time, the familiar sights he saw when he sneaked into the city lord's mansion appeared in front of his eyes, but this time no guards came forward to stop him. Duan Qing just walked out of the door and looked around, and as expected, he saw a familiar figure. The figure came into his eyes: "...Why are you here?"
"I heard that you are going to meet the city lord today, so I came over in advance to take a look." Xuyu Liushang, who had long blue hair, showed a beautiful smile: "In order to avoid being chased and seriously injured like last time, He is still a lonely person."
"It's not as miserable as you said."
Duan Qing felt warm in his heart, but on the surface he still replied casually: "Aren't you always watching the excitement on the east coast? Why don't you watch today?"
"I've finished reading, so I'm back." Xu Yu Liushang stepped forward and pressed her long hair blown by the autumn wind: "To save you the five minutes of going back to read the battle report online..."
"This time I will tell you first."
