"Although you just turned me away a few days ago, but... I still want to say it's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Tristan."
A bright room, retro yet warm furniture and decorations, and a warm fire... This was the first impression Duan Qing had of the place in front of him - at this time, he was in the free The interior of a luxurious house near the dock in the eastern part of the city, but if compared with the courtyard he had just passed, he was more willing to believe that this was what an ancient official's mansion and backyard should look like.
If you don't take into account the two lonely guards guarding the courtyard and the pitiful few servants.
"Nice to see you again, Your Excellency Mo Shang Qingshan."
Different from the initial impression left on Duan Qing, Bart Tristan at this time was not wearing the formal aristocratic clothes he wore when he was on a mission to the principality. Instead, he was wearing an ordinary cloth suit like ordinary civilians. , perhaps because of this relationship, his attitude and momentum have also changed a lot. His face, which originally seemed not good at communicating, now has an approachable smile: "Being able to meet again under such circumstances See, it’s really my luck, Bart.”
"Uh... is it my imagination?"
Watching a woman who was also wearing ordinary clothes and had just served tea leave, Duan Qing asked in a hesitant voice: "Your current situation... doesn't seem to be going well?"
"Don't doubt your eyes, the Tristan family is indeed not doing well recently."
Showing a bitter smile towards Duan Qing, Bart reached out and gestured around: "You must have heard about the fact that my family and I were kicked off the throne by the city lord. Ever since the Tristan family lost the throne After my aura, many people who followed me gradually lost confidence and then left here."
"That's right, eighty-nine of those guards who swarmed us when they came back have gone now." Looking at Duan Qing's confused eyes, Tristan smiled and shook his head: "There are still many who serve the Tristan family. The number of people...the number of people you see now is much different from the number before."
"No wonder your house is so deserted now..." Duan Qing replied slowly: "Isn't that servant in the hat from before also hired by you on a temporary basis?"
"Huilin hasn't chosen to leave yet, he seems to want to continue to follow me." Tristan smiled and pointed to a figure who was working hard to add firewood by the fire: "It is approaching the cold winter, but the heating equipment at home is all due to magic. There is a shortage of stone and cannot be used, so I gave him this drudgery job, which can be regarded as providing him from a poor place with a decent job and salary..."
"It sounds so miserable..." Duan Qing sighed and replied, "Has your family fallen to this point?"
"This is the fate of the weak."
Holding the ancient tea cup in front of him with both hands, Tristan said in a low voice: "In the Free City, it is difficult for forces without absolute strength to gain a foothold for a long time, and I am just an ordinary nobleman, fighting and fighting like that Things I'm not good at, so the Tristan family is nominally the ninth family among the Twelve Thrones, but in fact we can't even compare to the twelfth-ranked shadow mage Gardevoir. If it weren't for the help of With our long service to the Free City and our good relationships with other houses... we might have been kicked off our throne a long time ago.”
Having said this, Bart smiled bitterly again: "The city lord must have noticed our decline a long time ago and made this decision a long time ago."
"Don't think too much. If you pay, you will be rewarded." Duan Qing comforted him subconsciously: "Perhaps driving you out of the throne... is just the city lord's last resort."
"Sending Tania as an envoy is not a good job. When your country was at war with the Fleur Empire some time ago... everyone knew it." Tristan looked at Duan Qing and shook his head: "Then So leave this matter to me...I am afraid that the city lord and others at the time had already thought of leaving us in Tania to fend for ourselves. When the matter is over, there will be a step down. , if something goes wrong, our family, which has no power to resist, is also the best person to bear the responsibility..."
"That's the legendary one who takes the blame... right?" Duan Qing sighed and said, "What about the Rondoer family?"
"Denton is a young man through and through. Not only is he energetic, but he has always kept the promise and alliance between us." Tristan replied in a low voice: "When he went to the principality as an ambassador before, he couldn't bear to see our family die. As a result, he had to go with me, and later we were kicked out together... probably because of this, he offended the city lord and was implicated."
"I have offended many people on the road before. Let me first apologize to you on his behalf." The middle-aged man lowered his head deeply and held his hands tightly on his knees: "I hope you can forgive his offense. He just... …”
"No, no, no, I've forgotten those things."
Turning to look at the night sky outside, Duan Qing waved his hands and replied: "But...since I can help you to this point, why don't you see Rondoer's people showing up now?"
"Because...the concepts are different."
Taking another sip of the tea in the cup, Tristan shook his head slightly disappointedly: "Just like this bitter tea from your principality, although the family that has declined to this point is worth remembering... but it is no longer It was worth continuing to maintain its bitter fate, so when I was dismissed by the city lord, I felt relieved."
"At that time, I just wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to get rid of Tristan's long-term fate." He put down the teacup in his hand, and then looked at Duan Qing's face: "Stop this meaningless struggle, and then leave this place. .”
"Leave this place?" Duan Qing shook his head: "With all due respect... If you want to get rid of the current grievances and entanglements in the Free City, the price you have to pay is inestimable. Not to mention how many enemies you, the holder of the throne, have. Take the example I know, a friend from a warrior family I met in the principality..."
"Hank, huh? I know his story."
Tristan sighed and interrupted Duan Qing: "He and his Warrior House are also one of the last neutral organizations that can persist until now. Unfortunately, in order to survive, they have offended too many old guys... Perhaps what we are now is a continuation of this ending. In order to repay those old debts, someone must be responsible for shouldering the sins of the past."
"The Tristan family hopes to voluntarily give up the throne in exchange for a chance to leave." His face gradually turned gloomy: "But the young and energetic Denton did not want to do this, so... they chose Resisted."
"That is... the Throne War?" Duan Qing said thoughtfully: "Are they planning to resist the fate decided by the city lord?"
"The challenge of the Talzinger family may be just a veil behind this trend. Unfortunately, Rondoer should not have been a dam to withstand the raging tide. He was just a burial object dragged into the water by me." Tristan He replied in a low voice: "But whether it was the subsequent choices or the chaos that occurred a few days ago, the Rondoer family did not choose to give up. They have even cut off their relationship with me, hoping to get rid of the coming tsunami... Fight your way alone."
"A good choice." Duan Qing commented in a low voice: "Compared with escaping during the struggle...it is obviously more advantageous to take the upper hand during the struggle. Although it looks like a moth flying into the flame, as long as it is within the control range of both parties, Otherwise, they may win the final victory.”
"In the past few days, I have been carefully considering Denton's proposal, but the Tristan family does not even have an ordinary combatant, let alone an outstanding warrior like him." The middle-aged man smiled bitterly. Said: "Compared to the Rondoll family, we really have no competitive capital. The only wealth we have left in this city may be the good relations with other various forces and some things that have no practical significance. Treasures of gold and silver.”
"If your financial resources are strong enough, you should be able to do everything in the Free City, right?" Duan Qing said jokingly: "Isn't the Oxen Trading Company on Black Market Street an example..."
"We don't have that much money, and these are extraordinary times." Tristan shook his head again: "Even if someone is willing to accept our employment, this kind of money relationship is too fragile in front of the holder of the throne... Some."
"So... what do you want to do when you come to me this time?" Duan Qing clapped his hands: "And it's still in the middle of the night..."
"I still hope that others know as little as possible about tonight's meeting." The middle-aged man said with a serious face: "As for the purpose... I hope that you, your Excellency, can accept our invitation."
"...What invitation?"
"Of course it's an invitation to the War for the Throne."
The crackling fire reflected Bart's profile, and etched his increasingly solemn expression on the wall: "Everything started because of the Tristan family, and naturally it should end with the Tristan family. I can no longer let Denton continue to bear this responsibility alone. Even if the situation is really as you said... I don't want them to end up dying under the crushing force of several forces with such little hope. middle."
"In the Throne War in four days, I will be the first to request to participate in the war." He looked at Duan Qing's face: "I wonder if you... can help me?"
"..."
"I know you are an adventurer from the principality."
Responding with a comforting look to the woman who looked like a member of the other party's family who had handed over the tea, Tristan finally used his only negotiation skills: "On behalf of the Tristan family, I will hire you to be our Representative, when the time comes...you will put on the emblem of our family and fight for the Tristan family. I do not insist on the final victory, nor do I expect you to sacrifice your lives for our declining family. As long as I can combine with other The grievances between the throne owners have been settled, and we can discuss whatever repayments you and your companions need..."
Is this...the so-called choice of fate?
Recalling what a woman in black gauze had said before, Duan Qing sighed involuntarily, because even he himself did not expect that the final result of this series of general trends and the choices of all forces would actually be to destroy himself. Pushed to the forefront: "...Why me?"
"Because you met the Lord of the City today."
Perhaps the person he was trying so hard to talk to finally had a reaction. The middle-aged man smiled and clapped his hands: "After hearing today's news, I suddenly realized that the opportunity was coming, because as a special envoy of the principality and a capable risk-taker, Or... no one is more suitable to handle this complicated situation than you. I will provide you with comprehensive help. If you need any other information, just ask. I will also tell Triram later and let him take you. Go to our family’s treasure house and you can choose whatever you want in it..."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, I haven't said yes yet."
Looking at the other party's gradually calming down, Duan Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead, then ignored the secret glances from other servants who had stopped working around him, frowned and thought: "You... um , I mean... can the grievances between you and other throne holders really be resolved through this victory? If I understand correctly... the person who wins that victory should be able to become the new The owner of the throne, right?"
"This is just a battle to prove that we still have the strength to leave here." Tristan replied solemnly: "No form of duel will be more grand and formal than the Throne War, even if other throne holders We cannot ignore the final result of this war. If we can negotiate a peaceful evacuation with them as the victors of the Throne War, let alone those who want to hinder our family, even the city lord... I believe we will not find them. What reason do you have to object?"
"Then...what if it fails in the end?"
"If it fails... at least it can be considered a settlement." Tristan replied in a low voice: "Whether it is Rondal or other enemies, the grudge between us can be regarded as ending in this way, no matter how they treat it in the future. I, the Tristan family, don’t even have a word to say... Ah, please don’t worry about your own lives. I will do my best to ensure the safety of you and your companions. There are so many witnesses, including the city lord, even if there are If they want to do something secretly, they probably don’t have any suitable opportunities..."
"Okay, okay, stop talking."
After weighing it quickly in his mind, Duan Qing made a decision silently, but still stood up first, and then bowed to the middle-aged man opposite: "Although I really want to agree to your invitation, but this matter It’s still too important, if possible…”
"I hope I can go back first and discuss it with my teammates...how about that?"
