In that position, wrong and right no longer matter.

Big and small, victory and defeat, strong and weak, have become the ultimate masters.

Thales shook his head and stopped thinking about this.

In the study, Earl Acheson shook his head and sighed:

"Whether it was hundreds of years ago, our ancestors faced the Black Eyes, the Zhixiang, the Fuxing Palace, or the barbaric tribes in the Zeland..."

"It's still now, facing the Emerald City, facing His Majesty, facing...you." The eldest son of the earl said coldly.

Acheson nodded:

"The Lacia family has long been accustomed to maneuvering between those who can crush us to death in order to gain a chance of survival. They also know how to maneuver between those who we want to crush to death in search of opportunities for victory."

He stared at Thales:

"Because this is the ancestral motto and destiny of our family."

Thales was speechless for a moment and didn't know how to answer.

But the count obviously didn't need an answer from him.

"People often say that the Cullen family of the East China Sea has been very good at dancing in history, moving freely among the major powers..."

Earl Acheson's tone became increasingly sarcastic:

"But if I occupy the fertile land of the kingdom, if I sit on the seven ports of the East China Sea, if I command the Sun Fleet that spans the seven seas...then I will naturally be able to dance with ease and move freely, and I am guaranteed to dance better than Enronzo's dancer.

, moves more swiftly than the good horses in the north! Even if he has been loyal to two kings back and forth, rebelled four times and returned three times, there are still people who are polite enough to treat him as a guest! Let the historians describe betrayal as shrewdness and keep their words.

To be unfaithful is to assess the situation, and to be inconsistent is to be flexible in dealing with the world!"

"But we didn't." The earl's eldest son suddenly spoke up, like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.

Earl Aitchison nodded slowly and looked at Thales with a bitter smile.

"And Your Highness, you just said that the key to this tug-of-war is not who is in power?"

Thales hesitated to speak and could only force out a smile.

The earl tutted and shook his head:

"A nobleman like you, who has the blood of the emperor in his body and is crowned with a crown, naturally has a high position and does not care who is in charge here."

"But we are not." The count's eldest son spoke again.

Count Lassia nodded:

"We are just lizards living in remote swamps, without claws or teeth; we can only dive deep into swamps and hide in high branches when the wind blows, to avoid danger; we can only sit back and watch predators fight with each other and secretly eat scavenging; we

All I can do is spread my four wings anxiously, pretending to be huge, and trying to show off my appearance."

Thales' smile gradually disappeared.

"When the chips are low, you have no choice, and you can't care about your struggling posture and whether it looks good or not."

The count sighed:

"Just like six hundred years ago, when the ancestor of Boardman was named by the wise minister to go to the dangerous and unknown swampland, he had to go."

Listening to the other party's thoughtful explanation, Thales was silent for a long time.

"Then what you mean is that this incident in Emerald City..."

Before he could finish speaking, Earl Achison interrupted him with a cold snort and looked at his son.

Eddie had a stern look on his face and remained silent for a moment before speaking coldly under his father's eyes:

"The Lacia family will do what you said, Your Highness, we will faithfully execute your orders and protect your majesty in order to maintain the stability of the Emerald City."

Thales' breath was stagnant, but before he could start to get excited, the count added:

"I just hope you can keep your promise and give us a chance."

Thales quickly calmed down his emotions and sat upright:

"It must be so."

But Count Lacia smiled.

He smiled sadly, but he was also very open-minded.

"It doesn't matter. Even if you don't comply, it doesn't matter."

Thales couldn't help but be stunned.

"Because we have long been accustomed to it," the count's eldest son added expressionlessly, "people in power talk like farts - the higher the power, the more so."

Thales couldn't help but be stunned, chewing on the meaning behind this sentence.

But Earl Aitchison had already stood up, saluted, and respectfully bid farewell.

"Your Excellency," the prince returned the gift with a complicated mood, not forgetting to ask the last sentence, "by whose hands did Jenn's father, the Duke of Leinster Cavendill, die?"

Aitchison didn't answer, but looked at him deeply.

Thales couldn't get an answer, so he could only change the question:

"So, what is so strange about the death of Viscount Sona Kelvindir, who is recognized as the murderer behind the scenes?"

The count fell silent.

"I don't know, Your Highness," he said in a deep voice after a while, "there is only one thing that is certain."

Thales quickly concentrated his attention.

I saw Achison Lacia slowly raising his head.

"Like many others, they all died in the Emerald City."

Thales's heart moved.

"This city of queens, city of wealth, city of dreams," the head of the four-winged monitor lizard's face grew colder, "it is also a city of curses."

This answer seemed nonsense, but Thales was thoughtful after hearing it.

The next second, Earl Acheson walked out of the study without any hesitation.

His eldest son originally followed him, but stopped at the last moment.

"Our family motto is 'Swampland Monitor, Hidden with Murderous Intentions', Your Highness."

Eddie turned around and said coldly:

"As for 'no claws and no teeth', it's just a drunken joke with dark eyes."

Thales raised his eyebrows and nodded seriously:

"certainly."

"Because the lizard is not clawless or toothless, but its claws are too thin and have too little force, so it can only be used for climbing and grasping to maintain its fragile body on the cliff."

The eldest son of the earl looked at the prince behind the desk expressionlessly.

"And its teeth are too small and hidden too deeply. Only when the prey is sure to be in its mouth can it be fully exposed and tear the meat."

Before he could think about the meaning of this sentence, Thales sat upright and responded solemnly:

"Of course, I remember."

"It doesn't matter if you can't remember."

Eddie Racia turned toward the door.

"Because we will remember."

Thales couldn't help but shudder.

"Excuse me for being rude, but it's time for me to order a new pair of boots," Eddie stepped out of the room. "May the setting sun shine on your path."

The door is closed.

Thales looked at the direction in which Lacia and his son were leaving, and was lost in thought for a long time.

Very good, Thales - a voice in his heart quietly concluded - that's it, you win.

All we need to do is keep working hard, and the goal is just around the corner.

Thales lowered his head sadly.

That's right.

Reason told him that in this round of competition, he won.

He got what he wanted.

But sensibility, or a different kind of instinct, told him secretly:

He didn't win.
Chapter completed!