"You who believe in the Sunset Julands branch are famous for being simple and simple, your whereabouts are mysterious, you are not sociable, and you don't like to be in the limelight."

Thales looked at them each.

"In every celebration for the past ten years, when you arrived in the Emerald City, except for showing up to see the Duke at the Zhengzheng Banquet, going to the temple to pray, and saying goodbye when you left, the rest of the time, you closed the door to thank guests. Going in and out was as simple as a temple.

Monks—until this year.”

Thales smiled slightly, and then said seriously:

"But it's not because your family is dull, unsociable, or hard-working because of your faith - that's just a deliberately created excuse. As for the real reason..."

The prince looked at the notarial certificate on the table and paused briefly:

"It's poverty."

The prince sighed softly, feeling the same and sincerely.

The study became quiet again.

Both guests looked away.

Earl Acheson put his fists on his knees, clenching and shaking.

Eddie lowered his head with an unpredictable expression and remained silent.

“I don’t know when it started, but the self-sufficient swampland that was once so far away began to decline: the annual income was insufficient, the finances were poor, the land was abandoned, the labor was drained, the vassals and lords at all levels were unable to make ends meet, and they were borrowing debts to pay for the west.

"Tiles said coldly.

Earl Aitchison's fists trembled more and more.

"As for a certain earl family, even a decent banquet dress has to be rented for a short period of time. For the sake of the family's dignity, they have to be secretive and not dare to let anyone know."

Eddie still didn't speak.

"And they were late just now, not because they went out to the city to hunt," Thales couldn't help but sigh, "but because my invitation came too hastily, the urging was too urgent, and the time limit was too short. They had to find excuses and hurriedly get it together.

The team regulations, clothing and accessories required for entering the palace together to have an audience..."

Seeing no response from them, Thales had to deliberately glance at their simple and rough traveling hunting clothes:

"I guess we didn't get it all together after all."

Wow!

At this second, Earl Acheson stood up angrily, furious!

"Even if you are His Highness, you cannot insult us like this!"

Eddie stood up immediately with a serious look on his face:

"Exactly!"

But after he finished speaking to his father, he immediately pressed his shoulder:

"It's okay, dad, sit down."

Earl Achison's chest heaved and his face looked ugly. He glanced at his eldest son and then sat down unsteadily, feeling quite lost.

Thales didn't respond, just narrowed his eyes and continued to observe.

The eldest son of the earl turned around, his words were appropriate but his tone was cold:

"Prophet Julandz said: Frugality is a virtue and should not be ashamed of."

"I agree," Thales nodded, "but frugality is an active choice, but embarrassment is forced."

Seeing that Earl Acheson was about to have another attack, Thales quickly backed down:

"Please forgive me, I didn't mean to expose my shortcomings, nor did I intend to look down on the noble family, nor do I have the bad habit of judging people based on their wealth and poverty."

He sighed softly:

“But I guess over the years—perhaps more than just these years—the South Coast Territory, as the hottest corner of the kingdom, has undergone dramatic changes in response to the times under the care of several generations of rulers: industrial and commercial development, the gathering of immigrants, and the rise of civilians.

There are new riches, land transfers, resource development, sea trade is booming, finances and taxes have doubled, and the Emerald City, as the main city, is advancing rapidly, becoming a hundred times more prosperous than in the past."

Thales paused and looked at the two guests:

"However, the swampland, located southwest of the Emerald City, has complex terrain, dense forests, remote areas and poor resources, and is naturally closed and conservative. In comparison, it has remained stagnant, even declining step by step, and its scenery has ceased."

As soon as these words came out, both Lacia and his son fell silent.

"That's right, in the case that was tried before the court, the Baron Trent, whose fortune was ruined and his family was ruined, was reduced to a lawsuit between several farmers who shared the same copper plate and their own land, but only ended up with both sides losing..."

Thales stuffed the notarial certificate back into the drawer:

"It's just the simplest and most typical microcosm of what your Lassia family projects onto the lower-class nobles."

Boom!

Thales closed the drawer hard.

It seems to have closed the topic of this round.

Having said this, Earl Achison closed his eyes in sadness.

The eldest son of the count bit his lower lip and said nothing.

"But you are one of the thirteen noble families after all: the four-winged monitor lizard in the swamp can hibernate its minions, but it will never die of suffocation."

Seeing that the heat was enough, Thales immediately changed the subject:

"So eleven years ago, when Viscount Sonar, on behalf of the old nobles and the old forces behind him, brazenly launched a war against his eldest brother, the Duke, you were ready to make a move."

Earl Lassia and his son both raised their heads, one with alert eyes and the other with a complicated expression.

"I think that the struggle between the old Duke of Leinster and his brother Sona is a sad brotherly feud in the Iris family, but in the Emerald City and even the South Bank Territory, it is a bloody battle between different groups and different classes.

A showdown of power.”

Thales is definitely authentic.

In the context of Nan'an's rapid progress, different people in power who are drifting apart are cruelly eliminated for their own interests.

"But compared to the family that fell in that struggle, the four-winged giant lizard is cautious. You never attack head-on, but only use force in secret. You weigh and think about it on the way, and even changed in time after the death of the old Duke.

, I changed the court, and finally stood in the right position. Although I didn't win completely, I finally didn't have a grudge against the final winner, and I won't be liquidated by the new Duke afterwards."

Thales shook his head slowly, shaking off the joke just now, and also shaking off the last dignity of the Lassia family:

"It's a pity that I don't know if Zhan has seen through your vacillation, or if the backward governance and lifestyle of the Marshland lords really cannot keep up with the pace of the times, or if it is the Lacia family's opposition to the new Duke's rule.

The prediction was wrong - you didn't get the celebratory drink when Jen came on stage."

In other words, after drinking it, I found indigestion.

The medicine is not correct.

"Even the Vola Territory is gradually changing. Under the insistence of the young leader, the Karabyan family is slowly taking advantage of the convenience of the Emerald City to become rich. But the land remains the same: maybe outsiders don't know it, but you, who are getting worse, will soon

It has become the poorest and most glaring part of the kingdom's richest southern coast. The gap between rich and poor is even greater than that of the northern border, Cliff Land, Blade's Edge and other notoriously poor areas or border areas."

At this point, Eddie suddenly snorted, not knowing what he meant.

"So, when Federico returned with a goal, especially when he learned that my father was still standing behind him," the prince said solemnly, "you have no choice but to grasp this last straw."

Thales finished speaking.

Earl Aitchison finally released his fists and slumped back in his chair.

"Of course, you have inherited the family tradition and still don't end up personally. You take the initiative to fight against the enemy. You just play hard to get and do the opposite." Thales restrained his tone and tried his best to express understanding and sympathy. "So you can turn around easily. Even if you lose,

The loss can be stopped in time and the injuries are limited.”

Thales changed his voice and his eyes burned:

"Of course, the above are just my guesses. If there are any mistakes, please feel free to correct them."

Lacia and his son looked stiff, their eyes were lost in thought, and they were silent for a long time.

Thales didn't say anything, let alone urge him. He just concentrated on approving the remaining official documents.

It was as if the conversation just now didn't happen, and the guest opposite didn't exist.

Let time take care of the rest.

Finally, after several minutes, Count Lassia sighed:

"Your Highness, what exactly do you want us to do?"

Thales smiled.

It was a success after all.

He was about to make a request, but the eldest son of the earl snorted coldly:

"I remember that His Highness exercised the power of noble arbitration to seize Duke Jenn and pursue the old case of Kevin Dill. I wonder if there is any progress now?"

Thales looked tense.

"But when will the case be concluded and the verdict pronounced?"

Eddie stared at Thales coldly:
To be continued...