"Your Excellency, Prime Minister! What just happened? Didn't we say that the matter of Volavos should be resolved peacefully? How did it end up like this? ”

"This matter is finally over, Marshal Red. By the way, would you be interested in going to my Chancellor's mansion for a drink and discussing the Gloria family by the way? ”

"Chuckner! This time, Lao Tzu wrote it down! The next time His Majesty the Emperor discusses the case of salt and grain in the province of Cruver, you and Fariet will not be happy! ”

"Ha, then come, provided you still have the life to continue to be alive and kicking around this place in Redcar, and by the way, you are not invited to the intelligence bureau for tea by the Susas guy......"

The court meeting gradually dispersed with the passage of time, and the surrounding area of that hall was gradually filled with many imperial nobles who had walked out of the place, some of whom were still immersed in the atmosphere of trial and debate just now, and used quarrels and fierce words to tell each other about the various side events that had taken place in this court meeting presided over by His Majesty the Emperor himself. Unlike the small building on the side of a hill that they were facing as they walked and talked, Tristan, who had already put away his sharpness, was also standing on the side of the straight steps leading to the bottom of the mountain with his robe sleeves folded at this time, and he didn't know what he was thinking about, and he kept passing by countless other imperial nobles who ignored him, until a certain voice sounded in his ears, and then he turned his head slightly abruptly: "It's Your Excellency the Prime Minister." ”

"Hello."

Looking at the richly dressed old man for a while, he smiled lightly and stretched out his right hand, and then took it back without the slightest response from the other party: "Is there anything you want to ask?" ”

“…… You're not the kind of person who wants to fight for power and profit. ”

Different from the wisdom and composure on the high platform before, Caldera at this time only showed old age and turbidity under exhaustion: "So...... What do you want today? ”

"I know that the Prime Minister sent someone to invite me to your mansion before." Shaking his head slightly, Tristan grinned and replied, "I don't mean to deliberately reject you, it's just that with my current value and situation, it's really not suitable for an imperial veteran like you." ”

"I have some idea of where you came from." Prime Minister Caldera shook his head slowly: "Isn't it because of your status in the Free City that you have become accustomed to this feeling of superiority?" ”

"How is it possible, I have already given up that position." Tristan denied with a smile: "And with a small place like Liberty City, how can it be compared to a big country like the Frey Empire?" ”

"The Fley Empire is full of deceit, of course, no other place can compare with it, but the City of Liberty is an exception." The noble old man paused for the twisted cane in his hand: "I have also heard of the legend of the Twelve Thrones, given the danger there...... The slightest carelessness is also fatal. ”

"And you lived there for forty-seven years." There was a little more essence in his cloudy gaze, and he looked up and down the face of the middle-aged man in front of him: "I wonder if this is created by your natural talent, or by the imperial blood flowing in your body?" ”

"No more guessing, dear Lord Caldera."

Sighing and putting away his smile, the middle-aged man named Tristan finally turned his head to the distant sky above the empire again: "No matter how powerful I used to be, now I am just an imperial grass people, when I choose to give up the throne of the Free City and return to this place, I just want to take this opportunity to spend my old age in peace and take my family to have a good rest." ”

"I never wanted to re-enter the aristocratic world of the Empire like I do now." He let out a long sigh: "It's really not what I wanted to come to this point." ”

"Oh, really?" Behind him, Prime Minister Caldera's voice rang out: "But I see how you have behaved in recent times, and the skills you have shown in the main hall today, it doesn't seem like you want to give up." ”

"My current official position was given to me by His Majesty the Emperor, and there is nothing I can do." Tristan shrugged and replied, "As for my performance today...... Not. ”

"At the end of the day, it's just me trying to figure out how to repay the favor."

He turned his head, and the half cheek that was turned sideways pulled out a smile again, and the prime minister who was looking at this smile seemed to understand something from it, and his movements on crutches also changed slightly: "Those adventurers...... Are they different? ”

"Didn't the Prime Minister investigate them, you should have more than us in your heart."

"They should have come to the imperial capital with Volavas, and there were no problems in between."

As if caught in some thought, Caldera's face furrowed with the wrinkle of his brow: "But...... By the way, the previous report mentioned that there were five of them, and one person—"

"Prime Minister."

A calling voice then sounded behind him, accompanied by a young Imperial guard who quickly ran to the two interlocutors: "Marshal Red, please." ”

"He's waiting for you at the headquarters of the Imperial Military Headquarters."

Nodding slightly, Caldera waved his hand slightly, but the frowning brow did not let go in the process, but instead fell in the direction of the palace high behind him with his eyes. Countless imperial nobles who had the same thoughts as him were also landing their departing gazes in the depths of that palace at this time, and their inquiring eyes seemed to want to penetrate the walls of that tall hall, and the figure belonging to Duan Qing was also following the footsteps of the imperial royal guards at this time, slowly moving towards the depths of the palace that these people could not see: "That ...... Ladies and gentlemen, where are we going now? ”

“……”

"Where are my buddies now? I don't think I'm going to be locked up by you, right? ”

Facing the reactions of these guards with some helplessness, Duan Qing pouted helplessly: "The words have already been said for this part, you can't still hold on to us, right?" ”

"Don't worry, those buddies of yours haven't been arrested yet."

The mellow voice then sounded in Duan Qing's ears, accompanied by the figure of an imperial man wearing a flowered hat and his hands in the sleeves of his robe gradually approaching, and his white jade-like face who greeted the group of people showed a friendly smile on his face like white jade, and at the same time stretched out his hand towards the passage behind him: "Although Your Majesty still hasn't spared you in the matter of Volavos, but your crime has not been officially established, before that, You can still move freely in the land of the Empire. ”

"You can take the ulterior motives of those nobles as a warning." He dismissed the two Imperial Royal Guards who were in charge of escorting behind Duan Qing, and then nodded with a smile: "They just hope that you can be more honest and obedient in Redkar. ”

"Is that really good?" Duan Qing looked back at the two royal guards who no longer paid attention to him: "Are they...... Aren't you afraid that we will run away? ”

"You adventurers, you just lack the least respect for the Emperor." The handsome-looking man in a white robe shook his head with a smile when he heard this: "However, Your Majesty and our Imperial Royal Family are still the masters of Redkar, and his words are still somewhat authoritative. ”

"At least we still have some confidence in the forces that maintain the balance of other forces."

The numbing momentum flashed around him, and the eyes of the young man with a face like white jade smiled into two gaps, and the natural threatening aura then disappeared again beside Duan Qing with his turned body, accompanied by his gradually outstretched right hand: "I also hope that you and your companions can do your best to contribute your own strength to the empire on the premise of abiding by the rules." ”

"yes, yes, ahahaha." With a few subconscious dry laughs, Duan Qing honestly followed the other party's footsteps and gradually walked towards the end of the passage: "Speaking of which...... I have not yet asked for your honorable name. ”

"Ah, look at me, I forgot to introduce myself." The white-robed man said without looking back, "I am Quinine, Quinine Smidt, and I am a swordsman of the Imperial Royal Court. ”

The white light covered Duan Qing's field of vision with the light that appeared at the end of the passage, showing a garden scene all over the back of the main hall and the wind blowing from the top of the hill in front of him, and countless precious flowers and trees from this garden also swayed back and forth with the passage of these mountain winds, and the rippling blue water on the rocky pond in the middle of the garden embellished the natural charm of this imperial garden: "Nice to meet you. ”

"This is ......" Pointing to the rockery and pavilion surrounding the pond, Duan Qing's tone became much more surprised and admired along with his expression: "Is this still in the palace?" ”

"Of course, you can see Redkar's sea of red over there." Pointing to the right where they were, Quinine, who took the lead in the front, replied with a smile, "Although this mountain is not very high, and the area on the top of the mountain is not very large, it should be enough to build these palace buildings. ”

"Not to mention the wisdom of countless royal ancestors who once lived here." His gaze shifted slightly, and his finger shifted to the direction of the small palace not far from the royal courtyard: "With the wealth they have accumulated, the design and arrangement of this palace is impeccable." ”

"Did all the emperors of the empire live here?" Duan Qing couldn't help but ask with curiosity, "Right in that place?" ”

"Or what do you think the palace is for?" The court swordsman smiled helplessly: "As for there......"

"That's the Frey Palace." He patted his arm: "Once the residence of Frey the Great, the place where the emperors of the empire lived. ”

"To be invited by His Majesty to come here is the glory that countless imperial people yearn for."

He turned around and continued to walk towards the depths of this courtyard with Duan Qing, and then came to the door of the small palace in the scene of flowers and leaves gradually fluttering through the sky. Compared with the previous hall, the doors and window lattices of the hall were also showing in front of Duan Qing with countless traces of old and old at this time, but they were still using the vermilion color all around this palace, and several silent male and female guards were also grabbing their respective tools to clean the left and right of this place at this time, and then scattered on both sides along the pace of quinine's advance: "Master Sword Master." ”

"No need to be polite, today belongs to this Mr. Linyuan Broken Water."

Waving his hand to abandon the etiquette of those attendants, the white-robed man turned sideways towards the center of the hall in front of Duan Qing: "His Majesty the Emperor should have prepared a luncheon, please enjoy it." ”

"Isn't this a little too good?" Blinking his eyes, Duan Qing said a little helplessly: "I am a guilty body, and I am still in front of His Majesty......"

"What's so bad?"

It was not the swordsman of the court who said this, but His Majesty the Emperor who gradually walked out of the side door of this Frey Palace: "Since I invited you here, you are naturally my guest. ”

"Please come in."

The gold and red patterns, the straight and simple clothes, the burly figure belonging to His Majesty the Emperor appeared in front of Duan Qing and Quinine with a relaxed smile that was different from his previous image. The beard like a mane around the resolute face was also fluttering softly with the wind blowing in the courtyard at this time, and the straight nose bridge was also crossed by two thick eyebrows full of perseverance, and the pair of eyes that were as bright as a lion also flashed with a glittering divine light at this time, and looked at Duan Qing who was stunned in place with interest: "What's the matter?" ”

[Completed Mission: The Emperor's Inquiry.] 】

[Reputation: Drenier, currently level Friendly.] 】

"Ahh Taking a step back slightly, Duan Qing, who bowed and saluted, hurriedly cleared the system prompt sound that echoed in his mind: "It's just that seeing you the Lion Emperor so closely, it's still a little ...... Surprising. ”

"I know I'm feeling different now than I usually do." Waving his sleeves heavily, Drenier laughed and turned around and walked towards his palace door: "This is also something that cannot be helped, after all, there are too many imperial nobles to deal with every day. ”

"There are only a few easy moments in my day, and lunch time is one of them." He pointed to a large table of wine banquets placed inside the palace, turned back to Duan Qing and smiled and signaled, "Of course...... It's a bit of a waste to have such a great opportunity on your own. ”

"Let's wait a little longer, and we'll be all together in no time."