Time seems to have passed for a long time.

But Thales still looked at Putilai blankly, unable to say a word.

Putilai gave him a smile full of wrinkles.

"So, this is all for me," Thales said slowly, with a touch of surprise and sadness in his eyes: "Across the stars, there are mobilizing armies... It is the Freedom Alliance that stirs up the nerves of the whole country in Exeter.

The chaos...the sudden increase in frequency of communications from the Kingdom's secret department are all..."

Thales stared blankly at the dusty inner walls around him.

Connected.

Everything is connected again.

The centralization of power by King Charman, the internal fighting in Longxiao City, the instigation of Qiyuan City, and the sudden emergence of the Freedom Alliance. Ba not only insisted on grabbing the bargaining chips of the western war, but also

Thales brought it to the Black Sand Territory.

Because maybe he guessed it, maybe he guessed it the moment he heard about Xingchen marching into the desert...

In addition to the complicated relationship between Longxiao City, Black Sand Territory, and Qiyuan City, there are also factors that really bring the Kingdom of Stars into this foggy chess game and trigger the Western Continent Shield to enter the game...

It was his own second prince, Thales Bright Star.

Thales fell silent.

Raphael looked at the prince's appearance and snorted softly from his nose: "What, are you flattered?"

Putilai coughed and cast a dissatisfied look at Raphael.

Thales took a deep breath and came back to his senses.

"Yeah, a little bit."

"It's strange to say this, but..."

Thales slowly leaned against the wall, as if to soothe his ups and downs. He smiled reluctantly, as if talking to the non-existent air: "Haha, six years have passed since I became a certain unlucky prince.

I really didn’t expect…”

"I can also have such a grand day."

Thales, who slid to the ground, squeezed his lips absentmindedly: "Haha."

Listening to Thales' tone full of complex emotions, Putilai frowned slightly.

"Anyway," Putilai continued nonchalantly: "After dark, we will start from..."

But Thales suddenly raised his head and interrupted him.

"So," the prince sighed slightly: "The secret department sacrificed almost all the intelligence resources in Longxiao City, and perhaps even cost a lot of lives."

After hearing this, Raphael's brows became more and more intense.

"The kingdom even sent thousands of elite troops to clean up the desert like never before, just to pave the way for me to return home."

Thales' rather harsh tone made it difficult for Putilai to adapt to it.

Thales, who was sitting on the ground, slowly raised his head, with an unknown light shining in his eyes.

"Moreover, at this time, you are sending troops into the desert and approaching the border of Qiyuan City." The prince took a slow breath and his face returned to normal, but it made the other two people feel more and more uneasy:

"It's like helping Lumba: he not only escaped, but also defeated Qiyuan City, conquered the Black Sand Territory, frightened the dragon kingdom, and obtained the entire Ekestri, which the other nine Grand Dukes could not match.

that power."

"And as a result..."

Thales tightened his expression and looked solemnly: "The real enemy of the stars, Charmaine Lombard, that ambitious and terrifying monarch, that king who aims to recreate Exeter and conquer the kingdom of stars, from today onwards

, will become stronger and stronger than before."

"Intelligence, military, politics, diplomacy, and even the future... so many sacrifices are just to get me, a transparent prince who has been dormant in a foreign country for six years, out?"

At that moment, Thales seemed to be talking to himself:

"Is it worth it?"

The prince turned to his two subjects, his eyes calm.

Raphael's face tightened, while Putilai lowered his eyebrows and said nothing.

The silence lasted for a long time.

The shadow cast by the eternal lamp swayed back and forth on the wall, indicating the atmosphere of this moment.

"snort."

The skeleton man from the secret department shook his head disdainfully.

"Ever since the accident six years ago," Raphael looked at the prince who was not easy to deal with six years ago, and said in a cold tone: "We have been very clear: if we want to do it without paying any price, we will take you and influence us.

It is simply impossible to exchange the future sole heir of the kingdom from Exeter."

His conversation changed:

"However, after making so many sacrifices to get us to this point, we got this sentence from you: Is it worth it?"

Thales's face darkened slightly.

Raphael crossed his arms, looked at him with sharp eyes, and glanced at him condescendingly: "Don't you think this is too disturbing..."

But Putilai suddenly spoke and cut off Raphael's words.

"I have no idea."

Both of them were attracted by Putilai and looked at him doubtfully.

I saw Putilai still lowering his head, but using his rare serious tone, he spoke slowly: "But you need to ask yourself."

"Ask yourself, Thales Brightstar."

Thales paused slightly.

"You spent the six years you wasted as a hostage outside in exchange for the lives, health and livelihood of thousands of people on the border between the two countries, and in exchange for long-term peace and stability within the kingdom, and recuperation," Putilai sighed:

"Is it worth it?"

Thales was stunned. He looked at Putilai, trying to see something on his face.

The former deputy envoy of the mission slowly raised his head. Under the dim light, Putilai's face looked serious and sharp.

He is nothing like the old-fashioned, ruthless, and eccentric middle-aged man he used to be.

"Similarly, only you can answer the question you just asked."

"Yes, in order to save you, we paid a huge price, and in the face of these costs that cannot be ignored," Putilai stared at him piercingly: "If you feel confused, feel pity, and feel hesitant,

Even feeling guilty."

"Then it's up to you to tell us."

Thales' breathing became slower and slower.

"It's up to you to tell us these people in the future..."

Putilai's tone was serious: "Tell it to those who died in Longxiao City, tell it to those who risked their lives to go deep into the desert, tell it to the entire Star Kingdom and even the entire world..."

"Tell us, that summer, countless people worked hard, wasted money, suffered casualties, and spent everything they had, abandoning their own eyes and ears, even raising tigers to make trouble, creating a powerful enemy for Xingchen in the future, but also from the heavily besieged Longxiao City.

The incident of rescuing Prince Thales Shining Star from Extree, which was made of copper and iron..."

Thales subconsciously held his breath, sat upright, leaned his back against the cold and rough earth wall, and looked closely at Putilai.

Putilai took a deep breath and said decisively:

"It is the most rewarding thing we have ever done in our lives."

The tone is heavy and meaningful.

Thales's expression froze at this moment.

On the other side, Raphael lowered his eyelids, pursed his lips, and said no more.

The familiar silence returned to the passage.

"If you follow the plan and safely leave the boundaries of Longxiao City, our local escort will meet you at the border between Qiyuan City and Longxiao City. He will protect you as you walk southeast and cross Qiyuan City.

The wasteland of the city, until I send you into the great desert..."

In a secret room at the end of the passage, Raphael laid a yellowed map flat on a dusty triangular wooden table, and explained his next journey to Thales with the help of a weak light.

Putilai leaned silently at the door, watching the prince listen carefully to their next plan.

Raphael pulled his finger down, and the tip of his finger was closer to the Kingdom of Stars in the lower right corner.

Thales' eyes moved accordingly.

"When you enter the desert, your biggest enemy is no longer the chasing soldiers, but the weather and geography." Raphael's eyes revealed a subtle color:

"But don't worry."

"First of all, the northeastern end of the great desert has been cleared on a large scale by Xingchen's expeditionary force deep into the desert. No Desolate Bone tribe, orcs or sand bandits with more than 20 people dare to stay within our sweep line. At most
To be continued...