"Before I begin, I must confirm your will, and that is—" He dragged out his tone, as if searching for a suitable way to say, "Do you have the will to seek the truth and avenge the death of your family or friends?"

Ian looked at Alphen quietly and asked, "Family, and revenge...... Hmm, how much do you know about me?"

Alphen took a breath, seemingly impatient, and said, "Friend, I can't remember your name and your family—I'll call them your family for now, and I don't know where you came from—but I know everything that happened to you in Black Hawk City, and the reason behind it. I don't like to go around in circles, and if you're interested in pursuing the truth and getting revenge, then we can talk about it, and probably become allies. Otherwise, it's a waste of time. And we," he said, looked solemn, "we don't really have much time left. ”

Ian ignored it and continued to respond in a calm tone, "Well, then suppose I crave revenge, but what can you give me?"

"I can tell you who to seek revenge on. ”

There was a hint of wariness in Ian's eyes. He nodded, looked into Alphen's eyes and asked, "And what do you want? What did you mean when you said you hoped I could help you reclaim the throne?"

Alphen smiled, revealing the ruffian of the market. He bowed slightly, made a gesture to introduce himself, and then whispered, "I am Alphen Cesa Hilfa, the third prince of Hilfa's current emperor. And, I was exiled. Then he pulled out an ornate emblem. Exquisite setting techniques and rare jewels of unparalleled luxury, a resource and skill that only the great jewellers of the court can possess.

Ian then remembered what he had heard on the streets. It's just that he preconceived that these news were related to the royal infighting, so he automatically filtered and ignored them, but he didn't expect the protagonist of the rumors to find him in person.

"The Emperor has gone mad. He whispered, as if to tell an unmistakable fact, "I was exiled, and the Minister of the Interior, Hesmawi, admonished him with the Grand Duke Burley—for the sake of the peace of the people of the Empire, ha! I would have died stupidly in my own palace like my two brothers!" he glanced at the expression on Ian's face quickly, "Don't look at me like that. The emperor's heirs have little affection for him, and neither do my brothers and me. I don't know if that's the case in other countries, at least in the Hilfa Empire, that's my family's 'family tradition'. He laughed dryly, as if he realized that the joke wasn't funny.

"Listen, I say that he is mad, not because he killed and exiled his own heir," Alphen continued, "and when the Emperor finds that his throne is coveted, it is nothing to kill several princes and nobles, or even to give death to his own heirs. I say he's crazy because he's giving himself a godhead. ...... Don't look at me with such distrust, you're smart, aren't you?Didn't you feel like you were above anyone else or even another species for a moment?" Alphen noticed Ian's skeptical look.

"I didn't. Ian looked at him calmly, "Psychic power is nothing but a special kind of power that can manifest something in our spiritual world. His knowledge of limited spiritual power came from the teachings of witches.

"Well, maybe you...... Not at the moment. Hopefully, you won't have strange thoughts in the future either. Alphen stroked his unkempt hair, "I think the mind can make people crazy. At least the emperor recognized psychic power as some kind of divine power, and I've heard ...... He broke an important agreement. ”

"What agreement?" asked Ian.

"I don't know—I almost got killed by him before I had a chance to figure it out. Alfin leaned back, "But I know that he's close to the Archon Mason's faction, and they're all madmen obsessed with the power of the psychics. ”

"Alright, come on, that's the end of the gossip. He abruptly changed the subject, "Let's talk about us, are you interested in working with me?"

"You still haven't answered me about what you want me to do to help you reclaim the throne of the Emperor. Ian replied calmly.

"Ah-" Alphen winked slyly, "yes, yes. You are steadfast and I admire you. I need you to assemble a team for me that can take advantage of the chaos to defeat my father. Of course, I'll act with you, and I'll have to be near the center of power at the last moment, right?"

"Before I get back to you, Your Highness," Ian changed his title, "I must ask you a few questions......"

"Just call me Alfin, I'm an exiled prince," Alfin interrupted him, "Of course, you can ask. ”

"Why are you looking for me?" Ian asked, "You don't even remember my name." ”

"I don't remember your name, but I've been fooling around in the slums—ah, we've had a private visit—that's a good word—for some days, mainly to get an insight into the poor lives of beautiful girls...... Well, I like to ask Willow, it's not a big deal, is it?" Alphen defended himself, though Ian wasn't going to make any comments on his private life, "I'm only the third prince, and I have two crown princes in front of me, so normally the responsibility of running the country doesn't fall to me." Alfin sighed, "So I'm just indulging myself a little." I saw you at that time, you should have some siblings? or your friends, you live together. Although poor, your relationship is so good that I am jealous. ”

This is not difficult to understand, just look at his "family tradition".

"So I know who you are. And what happened to you later, I also know through the eyes and ears of the court. Based on my knowledge and judgment of what happened, you should have the same strong will as I do to return to Black Hawk City. Alfin vagueed some of the words, and Ian knew it was his bargaining chip, "Of course, I also know that you have psychic powers and have become a mercenary. This gives me more confidence that you have a better chance of assembling a team of similar abilities for me. ”

"Then why don't you just come to me and use an anonymous commission?" Ian asked suddenly.

"What anonymous commission?" Alfin froze.

Ian watched his expression, as if he really didn't know about the commission. Could it be that there are others? Ian sneered in his heart, could it be that so many people know the truth of the matter, but he, the party, is in the dark?

"It's all right, my next question," he wasn't going to delve into it, "where is the mess you are talking about?"

Ian deliberately looked out into the bustling street outside the tavern, signaling that it was still a peaceful and orderly environment.

"War. Alfin said in a deep voice, "The war has begun, my friend. This peace in front of you won't last long. But you have to be prepared that this war will never end abruptly, and it will not be a petty border friction, it will be a battle of life and death. Until then, I need you to endure for me, to suppress your anger, and you need to gather strength. ”

Ian listened quietly, waiting for him to continue.

"The emperor thinks that he has a godhead, and he does not need his heirs to inherit and watch over his position, nor does he need all things to be prosperous and a hundred schools of thought to sing together. He just needs to show power, and then all souls obey. So," Alfin shrugged, "he's going to be defeated, it's just a matter of how long it will last." ”

"The war will continue to expand, I understand. Ian nodded, "But I've heard he's taken the North." ”

"The land of bitter cold, the small country of projectiles," the third prince laughed, "this little bit is nothing." Wait, the power of the Eastern Ancient Kingdom and the Western Federation will not let him go far. ”

"So you're going to stand up after he was defeated and declare yourself as the rightful descendant of royalty and inherit the legacy of the empire?"

"Yes, and, moreover, swear peace. Alf's eyes lit up.

"Even if he becomes an emperor with no real power?"

"Even if he is reduced to an emperor with no real power. He laughed, "I'll talk about the rest later, and it's not my fault that the things came before." What do I have to worry about?"

Ian had to admit that he was a little moved by the calmness of the third prince at this moment. Alphen didn't look a few years older than himself, but he had the determination and strong will to go into exile on the borders of the Empire and find a helper to turn around again. It's just that his small gestures really don't look like a noble prince, but like a gangster who wanders in the streets and alleys and has no education.

"Well, do you have any questions? Let's ask them all, I know everything!" Alphen seemed to be in high spirits.

Ian pondered for a moment before responding, "I don't have any other questions. If you can show the way for my revenge, my sword will appear in your ranks. ”

"Psychic power will be better, against them, psychic power is more useful than a sword......" Alfyn's finger pointed a few times in the air, as if bargaining.

"It's just a statement, like an oath......," Ian explained.

"No, no, you're not a knight, and I can't give you the name of a knight—to put it bluntly, what do we want to do with that?" Alfin laughed and raised his glass, "You don't belong to me. for our covenant. ”

"For the covenant. Ian touched the oak glass to the other's and took a sip.

"Can't you finish it?" Alphen scoffed without shying away from it.

"No, you can't. Ian was not provoked, "I'm not good at drinking. ”

"Okay, okay, then I'll drink. The third prince raised his head and drank it all.

Sid was still strolling around the shopping street with Jinx, unaware that Ian had met an amazing person and had made an alliance with him "without permission". While he is haggling with the vendors for Jinx, Ian learns the so-called "truth" that he has been searching for.

He clutched the empty glass, hung his head, and laughed in a low voice, but at last it became more and more like a cry.