The black cross swirled in front of Estheux, and finally came to a silent standstill. The slender tail of the sword pointed straight at him, the sunken lines winding deep in the cold and hard cast iron, waiting for blood to pour into and fill every crevice within. Eshua stiffly stretched out his hand to cover the cross, but he never had the strength to pick it up, as if it was firmly attached to the table. He raised his head, his gaze trudged through the long table, and finally reached Viscount Ivanles, who was sitting at the end:

"How much did Brockchette tell you?"

"It's very limited, only your status given by the gods, and the Blood Cross Oath has no unique, strong and effective binding force on you—even the messenger of God can't do whatever he wants in Pande." The old man said calmly, "I'm glad to know about it. ”

"And what does the Viscount want me to do? Another vow of eternal loyalty to Livingston? Do you want me to help Gregory IV unify Pander? Estheu's voice became cold,

"It took nearly a hundred years for the Gregory family to expand their rule beyond the North - not just Livingston, since the old Pander Empire was divided, the monarchs have only guarded the legacy of their heroic fathers who fought in blood and fire. Mr. Barandoke, why do you think that your accession will upset the delicate balance between the five nations that are in each other's way? And rest assured, I'm not going to ask you to fulfill an oath that most of the nobles of the North have never really kept, but I just need you to do everything in your power to protect a person's integrity. ”

"Do I have the right to refuse?" Essho asked.

"Of course you do, I don't have the same life-saving grace for you as Dean Brochette." The old man replied, "But you will have a hard time in the days ahead, and though I am already a marginal man, and have spent most of my time in the round table, the House of Ivanles of the Finbrae Plain is still capable of making it difficult for a new baron to make it difficult for him to move in the North—in fact, he was named Ismolola for my opinion." He will find that the regular army he conscripts into the army are some lazy and lazy inferior **; The Armory of the Borough will always be stuck with his supplies, putting him at the bottom of the list, and there will be constant queues; He does not receive any invitations when the lords hold a banquet. But the baron had the opportunity to have the full support of the Ivanles family—not blatantly supporting all kinds of supplies, of course, but he could hire the craftsmen who needed the most for his territory, and he didn't have to pay a single dinar for it; At the same time, he can obtain the best quality weapons at the lowest price, and his personal armament is as elite as the Iron Guard among the Guardians of Livingston; He will also have a place at the king's feast, and his name will be written by Duke Alexis himself on the invitation. And the baron didn't even have to do anything for the North, he just had to make a promise that he would do everything in his power to protect someone. ”

Eshua was silent, Viscount Ivanles was both coercing and luring, those coercion he couldn't bear, those benefits he couldn't refuse, but if they were to be realized one by one, what kind of monstrous power was needed in the north! Could it be that the end of the long table was still the era when dragons and falcons soared together, and Esher and the old man were separated by the moat of time. Or is it that after a series of setbacks such as coups, demotion, and isolation, the only remaining elder in the North can still stand up to Ryan's Duke Alexis? No, maybe the relationship between the two was not as incompatible as it appeared on the surface, Eshua keenly noticed a subtle detail in the old man's words, but he couldn't hear the specific meaning for a while.

“…… Who to protect? Esher asked.

"Pruttor." Viscount Ivanles said slowly, "It doesn't matter if the surname is there, there is only one person in the whole north who has this name, and you will know who he is then." ”

"I can't be his bodyguard all day long, I can't serve him until the end of my life, and I won't put myself in danger for it."

"I didn't ask you to be his attendant, and I only asked you to do your best, and I didn't ask you to do anything. As for the duration of the suspension,"

"Then how do I fulfill this duty of protection?"

"I give you the freedom to judge. When the time comes, I'm sure you'll make the right choice. Viscount Ivanles said, as he stood up and walked down the long table towards Estheau, placing a bright silver eagle-headed dagger in front of him, "then, make up your mind, Brigadier." There is another way for you to choose," said Viscount Ivanles at last, "and that is to leave by ship in the nearest port, and never to be in Livingston." ”

After a long silence, Eshu raised his hand, slashed his index finger with a short knife, and dripped blood onto the left end of the black cross: "My blood, the shackles of oath, the shackles of life." ”

The old man took the dagger and did the same, dripping his own blood to the right end of the cross. He repeated the oath in a low voice, and the blood of the two began to converge in the center along the intertwined textures, drawing a mysterious pattern like a thousand twisted chains. The dark red blood filled the slender grooves, and then gradually engulfed in black pig iron, reflecting only a faint luster.

"You can go, Brigadier." Viscount Ivan Leth put away the dagger and the cross, "Wren will be responsible for escorting the first craftsmen to Ismorola, and he is also part of the agreement between us. ”

"You're still letting him spy on me?"

"Not really. There's no other place in the North for a falcon—not even mine. And actually," Viscount Ivanles hesitated for a moment, "I hope you will help me restrain him." I am too old to have the patience or the confidence to preach to young people. They won't understand what I'm thinking, and it's hard for me to agree with theirs. ”

"I thought he was your man."

"Who else do I have in the North?" There was great sadness in the old man's words, "You can do it yourself, Quasi-Lord." ”

Eshua turned around and walked towards the gate, and the old man's voice came from behind him: "Finally, I would like to give you a piece of advice, if you really lack the funds to operate, there are misty mountains in the north, and the Gatu steppes in the south, although it is dangerous, there is also great wealth lurking. Don't ask for Duke Alaric's help—even if he does, he refuses. Now that most of the nobles in the North are almost financially dependent on Shendefu, I don't want you to fit into this sick circle, maybe you will have a good start at first, but you will be constrained at every turn. Duke Alaric has always been tolerant of debts, but perhaps one day you will find that he will let go of the terrible usury of favors, and by that time it will be up to you how to repay them. ”

Eshua turned his head, and he saw Viscount Ivanles sitting alone in the empty dining room, playing with the eagle-headed short knife in his hand, the sharp blade fluttering and beating deftly and vividly between the old man's withered fingers, and he lowered his head and did not look at Essiux. The sun shines in, and the figure of the old man in the bright light is so lonely, reminiscent of a cold dragon's tooth pine on the side of the road, almost crushed by snow.