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There was silence in the Hall of Heroes for a few seconds, and everyone pondered the meaning of this sentence.

Rumba didn't speak, but he looked at Tails, hard to hide the shock on his face.

Price.

Could this boy ......

No, how would he know, how would he understand......

Even these things that the grand dukes who have been immersed in power all their lives can't see......

Grand Duke Heisha's hand tightened again unconsciously.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Trudida gritted her teeth, her eyes roaming back and forth between Rumba and Leko, "What change, what cost?"

Tails lowered his head and looked at Jnetbsp, who was thrown out of his hand and lying quietly on the ground; His eyes drifted into the distance.

A handwritten letter from his teacher, Gilbert Cassel, popped into his mind.

[Exter's political system...... Very different...... King Nunn was outside of the king's capacity...... It is also a grand duke of Longxiao City...... Exeter's interests are very different from Walton's......]

I see.

You're not just talking about King Nunn, you're talking about every Grand Duke's family.

The interests of the kingdom of Exeter are very different from those of the Grand Dukes themselves.

Thank you, Gilbert.

I get it.

Tails' eyes were like torches, and he swept the family crests on the Grand Dukes one by one, and said lightly:

"The ...... of the Silver Chain"

"Ron......nie of the Knight's Codex"

"The Alesio ...... of Chauvin"

"Trudida ...... with a Shining Blade"

As he became famous, the Grand Dukes turned their heads one after another and looked solemnly at the foreign prince.

I don't know when they started to belittle the boy, and their habit of underestimating this boy has completely disappeared.

"The reason why you are willing to join forces with Rumba, even at the cost of covering up your sins for him," Tails said softly, "is to decisively solve the unformed threat and protect your future before the stars become stronger." ”

The prince sighed, and then became serious: "But please believe me, before the Exeter and the Kingdom of Stars of the same size are completely separated, and the final feud is settled......"

The Grand Dukes looked at Tails intently.

Only Rumba, who stared at the sword in his hand, seemed to be completely drawn to the saber.

"The family that your Excellencies hold dear, the bloodline that you are proud of, the noble and noble position, the territory that you have painstakingly guarded, and the ...... that has been firmly ruled for a long time," a terror appeared in Tails' eyes, and then turned into a determined flame.

I only heard him say unquestioningly: "All that you are enjoying and accustomed to will be completely annihilated and will cease to exist." ”

At that moment, the breathing of the Grand Dukes stagnated in unison, and their eyes widened.

It's like hearing the most ridiculous news.

Tails' voice continued to sound: "From the moment you accept Rumba, your respective families ...... There is no such thing as a future. ”

With a soft sound, another brazier in the hall was extinguished.

A thick chill hit out of thin air.

It was so cold that Thelma hugged her body tightly.

Auretheus opened his mouth in surprise and exchanged glances with Trudeda, and Leko sighed slowly, as if he already knew something.

Rumba closed his eyes.

An indescribable emotion came from his chest.

"Let's be clear, boy. Grand Duke Ronnie stretched out his hand and touched the scar on his neck that had been cut by Croahi, the wound that had been poured with strong wine still lingered, and he said solemnly, "What does it mean to cease to exist?"

The family bloodline that has been inherited for hundreds or even thousands of years is enough to compete with a vast territory of a country......

How could it be......

Tails exhaled, watching it form a white mist in front of him.

"Once you follow Lomba south, the oath of co-governance will exist in name only, before war and profit, your balance of power will inevitably be unbalanced, and it will be too easy to bring about conflict between you," Tails gritted his teeth, "The moment you think you have suppressed the stars and start your fight for them, it is time for him to quietly start a change—not just to build a Starlight army in Exeter." ”

He suddenly felt a little dizzy.

It's that familiar feeling.

"I don't know how much Rumba told you about Xianjun," the prince rubbed his hands together and put them in front of his chin and sighed hotly, "But ......"

"Efficient management, fine power, increased taxes, regulated institutions," Tails' vertigo grew, and he had to stretch out his right hand and press his forehead while closing his eyes: "These all come at a price. ”

The moment he closed his eyes, he seemed to have left the Hall of Heroes.

In front of him was a familiar row of white tables and chairs, on which seven or eight laptops were placed, each of whose owners sat quietly.

He cleared his throat and lowered his head, the neatly printed draft of the report in his hand.

[So, in his view, as a transitional stage from the old feudal rule to the absolutist rule, the hierarchical state was formed at this time......]

Wu Yuren's voice sounded slowly, gentle and flat.

[The city is an autonomous political whole, an aggregate of powerless people united by their wishes, and they entered the Lord-vassa1 model as a new political force, so that the typical feudal relationship is no longer a purely dualistic power framework - in other words, the rise of the city supports the ruler against the feudal princes......]

In the next second, Tails opened his eyes and returned to the dragon city of the Erol world, back to the dim hall illuminated by the brazier.

"Whether it is a career official, a qualification examination or a national conference, it means ......"

"First, the city and its suburbs, the low-ranking nobles and commoners," Tails said, covering his forehead and trembling, "the best of them...... Carrying money, craftsmanship, knowledge, and a desire for the future, they will climb the ladder of the new aristocracy...... The king will rejoice at their arrival, and will be a finger in their power against his vassals. ”

Trudida hung her head thoughtfully.

The light and shadow in the hall changed again, and Tails sat in the brightly lit classroom again, moving his mouse and talking non-stop.

[The city groups will form a new political body such as the hierarchical council, and the monarch intends to collect taxes, and they intend to supervise the use of this tax, so as to carry out financial control over the power of the feudal aristocracy......]

Tails endured the dizziness of switching between the two scenes, and continued in pain:

"In the case of the Council of the Stars, for example, the new arena for these commoners to participate in politics will include the handicrafts, commerce, the army, the new aristocracy, etc., which will become the home of the king, greatly weakening the power and prestige of both the grand duke of a place and the earl of a city, and whether it is the administration of tax laws or the declaration of war, the king will be given the greatest convenience. ”

Hearing this, Grand Duke Auretheus couldn't help but throw a look at Lombard.

[The universities of Europe were the first nourishment: the Germanic monarchs hired these students as officials in order to shape the bureaucracy, and the Prussian mi1itary_bureaucracy and civi1_bureaucracy were the most efficient, but not to serve the people, but only to serve the state, that is, to serve the power......]

"More and more new officials will come into the king's sight, and their qualifications will replace the blood of the nobility, in order to prudently counter generalization, cover their origins with their profession, and gradually take over the authority within the kingdom," Tails gasped, experiencing the strange sensation of fragments of memory entering his mind, remembering the former star tax collector named Urad: "So the old nobles, including your relatives, will no longer be valued, and their tax and judicial privileges will gradually be stripped away, and even you will have to admit that they are no longer fit for office." ”

Archduke Leco sat motionless, listening quietly.

[What the citizens demanded was the establishment of the ruling conditions and the legal environment to ensure the industrial and commercial and economic development of the city, and a peaceful ruling order, which could not be satisfied by the feudal system based on the manor economy and the small market, which required the ruler to expand his power and centralize it in order to ensure the interests of the so-called "bourgeois......]

"In the same way, the king will allocate funds from the increasingly abundant treasury to support and expand the standing army, and maintain order in the country and the security of the borders on his own," Tails shook slightly, and Selma hurriedly supported him: "He will no longer rely on the conscripted army in your domain, no longer on the self-sufficient supplies in your estates and fields, and no longer look at the faces of the Grand Dukes." ”

Ronnie suddenly remembered the Broken Dragon Fortress, and he frowned deeply, looking at Tails with strange eyes.

[Over time, the feudal aristocracy in the hierarchical state struggled to sustain itself, lost its military significance, and was unable to maintain political influence and ruling power. In this case, they had to move closer to the rulers and perform their duties on the latter's terms—that is, the rise of the cities, which had a devastating impact on the feudal system......]

Eventually, the strange fragments calmed down in his mind, and he stopped making waves.

Tails gasped slightly and patted Selma's hand.

At that moment, he suddenly appeared, and Rumba looked at him with a strange mixture of surprise, doubt, pain, hatred, relief, and so on.

"Do you feel it? once this change goes with time, whether it is you the grand dukes of the divided side or the traditional counts of the cities, from taxation to the army, from justice to talents, from privilege to status," he turned his head with difficulty and looked at the grand dukes under the increasingly ugly faces of the grand dukes: "The premise on which you rely for your livelihood will slowly dissolve, and the advantages will gradually disappear." ”

"Rumba envisions all the means and changes, whatever the original intention, that will point to a result. ”

Tails took a deep breath and said, "And that's you—you, the other nine of your famous Grand Dukes who rule the Northlands together, and the beginning of your loss of power and the decline of your family. ”

Grand Duke Rumba's face sank like water, and the look in his eyes became more and more complicated.

The Grand Dukes remained motionless like stone sculptures, and they didn't know how much they listened.

"One day, you will go from being a great vassal on one side to a great nobleman with only glory, then to a rich man with only wealth, and even to a commoner with nothing, and finally to the day when your descendants can only dig out your family history from the dust......

"And the Nekaru Oath, which has guarded Exeter from division for six hundred years, and which has given down the ten Grand Commons to govern the North, will be the oldest page of history in the museum," Tails sighed deeply and shook his head.

"Like your family, it will slowly turn yellow over time, and it will never return. ”

"That's the price to pay for Lombard's so-called 'saving Exeter'. ”

Tails finished his words and slowly raised his head.

At that moment, the Grand Dukes finally came back to their senses from the state of the stone sculpture, but everyone's expressions were extremely subtle.

Rumba lowered his head and stared at his old saber.

The incredulous Trudida cast questioning glances at Aletheus and Ronnie, but the lord of the Weilan Lords just shook his head silently, and the lords of Qiyuan City simply turned pale and ignored them.

"Charman," said Archduke Raiko's gaze as if it had become cloudy, and the old man said in his deepest and hoarse voice of the day, "tell me, all you want is an army that can defeat the stars, do you?"

"Didn't think about anything else?"

"Like, the oath of co-governance?"

The eyes of the Grand Dukes shot at Rumba in unison.

One second.

Two seconds.

The gaze of the Grand Duke of the Black Sand finally lifted from his saber.

He smiled reluctantly, then chilled.

"Everything this kid says is based on lies with strong selfish intentions," Rumba, with a complicated expression, said in an unpleasant tone, "As long as the slightest suspicion is aroused in your hearts, he will win—stir up a rift between us, disintegrate our efforts to fight against the stars, and leave a respite for the increasingly powerful kingdom of stars!"

Tails sighed silently in his heart.

"Putting aside his vast array of demagoguery, and his inexplicable assumptions that he never gave birth to—don't you think it's ridiculous?" Rumba gritted his teeth, as if insulted, "For the sake of Exeter, the Archdukes are united as one, and go south to the stars together, which is actually the root cause of our own destruction?"

When the Grand Dukes heard Lomba's words, they looked suspicious and began to think about it.

Selma watched the Grand Duke's reaction and was shocked.

Right now.

"Not exactly. ”

The prince's words came steadily.

Rumba frowned: "What?"

"'We' brought about our own destruction?" Tails exhaled and said, "The only ones who brought about their own destruction were the other nine." ”

"In this game of change that started from Rumba, Exeter is like a dragon with ten heads, devouring each other in a raging wave," Tails sighed: "If it goes well, only one of the heads, that is, the one with the most strength, the most prepared, the most adaptable, and the fastest reaction, will survive to the end." ”

Grand Duke Leco looked up abruptly and stared at Tails.

Grand Duke Ronnie's expression grimaced.

"As I said above, he will rein in power as the last ruler, and take advantage of the turbulent trend of the revolution to devour the other nine archdukes as nourishment and food, so as to forge his own crown of Exeter, which is supreme and supreme before. ”

Tails' eyes were covered with a haze that was rare for ordinary people, and he said sullenly: "Who do you think the only person, the one who is closest to the truth, will be in Rumba's plan?"

He looked at the expressions of the Grand Dukes, shook his head slightly, walked over to the brazier that had just been knocked down, and slowly crouched down.

The prince reached into the cooled firewood and tossed the dagger.

"But whether the Rumba succeeds or not, there will be no place for the other nine in the realm of the nascent kingdom of Exeter, except for the last ruler," his words continued to strike, hammering into the hearts of several archdukes. ”

Tails shook the Jc dagger, unsheathed the yodel had given him from his belt, and blew it gently.

"Remember, ladies and gentlemen, maybe a decade, maybe decades, maybe a hundred years......"

"But if one day your family fades away, and your descendants are displaced, and your position ceases to exist," Tails slowly stood up and turned to the Grand Dukes:

"That must start today, from the terms you agreed to Rumba. ”

Tails' eyes lit up, and he slammed the dagger into the sheath: "Qiang!"

In the crisp sound of metal grinding, the Grand Dukes looked at him motionlessly with gloomy faces.

"That's the mystery," Tails said in a deep voice, "that's why Lombard refused to reveal his true motives to you in the first place, and why he didn't hesitate to gather the brutal truth behind your 'Save Exeter'." ”

"Rumba and you will work together to defeat the stars," he ended softly, "but ironically, you will be destroyed before you defeat the stars." ”

There was silence in the hall again.

"Chaman, I gotta say, this is really ......" Trudida, whose face was full of disbelief, stopped and stopped, and finally sighed: "Forget it, I don't know what to say about it." ”

"It's unsettling. Grand Duke Ronnie added his words coldly, looking at Leco for Wei, who only frowned and said nothing.

The Grand Duke of Auretheus crossed his arms and supported his chin, and said with difficulty: "Chaman......"

But Rumba's words were faster than him.

"It's all unfounded nonsense, it's all things that have never been born, it's all alarmist speculation!"

"And he used it as a reason, and you really believe it?" the voice of the Grand Duke of Black Sand was still cold, but the irritation in it could already be heard: "Don't forget, the threat of the stars is real!"

Rumba strode forward and pressed his hand on the square table, his face like ice and snow: "What we saw and heard twelve years ago, and what King Kessel has done in the past twelve years, are not all in your eyes?"

"Why would you rather be swayed by vague words than act on hard facts?"

The one who answered him was still Tails.

"Unequivocal facts?" said the prince quietly.

This time, Rumba turned his head, his eyes full of resentment and murderous intent.

Tails didn't pay attention to his eyes, he asked softly, "Your Excellency, if you succeed in attacking the stars, what are you going to do after that?"

The Grand Dukes looked at each other and their emotions were unclear.

Rumba's eyes froze and his fists clenched.

"He wants the North of the Stars. Grand Duke Ronnie spoke softly.

"He will hold the frontier for us, monitor and suppress the stars," Ronnie's words were slow and cold, but full of force: "For this reason, whether it is to take the throne together, or even the Black Sand Collar, he can give up." ”

Tails exhaled softly.

"It's easy. The prince smiled maliciously and stared at the iron-faced Rumba: "Your Excellency, Grand Duke of Heisha, if you also think that my words are unreasonable, then prove it with undoubted facts,"

"For the stars, the North is a land of unfinished change, and traditional power and old habits still hang over it, but for Exeter, the North Border, which is also part of the Great Northlands, has begun to be the harbinger of change, and is the best base for change. ”

I only heard Tails say lightly: "Grand Duke of Rumba, for the sake of your unity, give up the northern border." ”

Rumba jerked his head up and stared at him deadly.

The Grand Dukes also raised their heads one after another, with different expressions.

Tails still had a breezy expression - he had learned it from Raphael, and that little white face always had this kind of attitude that could make people angry.

Shrees complained that among the many conditions that Rumba offered him, whether it was tariff preferences or resource contracts, he excluded the northern frontier.

Isn't that obvious?

"Of course, you can also make a guarantee," Tails curled the corners of his mouth and continued, "whether it is to emulate the changes of the virtuous monarch, or to endanger the family of the Grand Duke...... None will be born in your hands. ”

"In this way, there is no soil and no opportunity in your hands, and you will be cleared of suspicions by setting off changes that may bring about catastrophe," Tails looked solemn, "The other Grand Dukes can rest assured that they will continue to cooperate with you." ”

As soon as these words came out, the hall was silent for the longest time.

Rumba froze in place.

His hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his sword, motionless.

The Grand Dukes exchanged information in each other's eyes.

No one moved or made a sound.

A cold wind poured into the hall, and the shadows of the crowd swayed in the flickering light of the fire.

Thelma bit her lower lip and looked apprehensively at the archdukes with different expressions.

Finally, as if centuries had passed, a voice broke the silence.

"Actually, we want to believe you, Charman," said the deep voice of Archduke Leco, "but I also have to admit that this child's words have worried me. ”

Trudida shrugged: "There is some truth to it. ”

Rumba raised his head slightly, and in the shadows, his stiff face was even more vicissitudes.

"Tell me, Charman. ”

"As our alliance of oaths, in order to refute the words of this arrogant prince, to let go of each other's worries and guards, and to confirm that we are still one," Archduke Leko looked directly at Rumba and sighed softly, "Are you willing to ...... in the coming war"

"Abandoning the North?"

Rumba didn't speak, just looked at Leko in a daze.

"Of course, we will compensate you with a considerable amount of land and interests to express our apologies - Aletheus, Trudida, or even my land, whatever you choose, no more," the old duke coughed, as if a little sad: "You know, based on the northern border, the responsibility of guarding the frontier and monitoring the stars can be fulfilled by others. ”

The voice fell.

Rumba raised his head and swept over each Grand Duke one by one with the most incredulous gaze.

Tails pursed his lips and looked at Rumba deadly.

Look at his face as if he was frozen.

Rumba gritted his teeth, his brow furrowed, and his eyes burst with anger.

"I know, it's excessive, but," Olesius shook his head apologetically with an unsightly face, "I swear, as long as you prove yourself, I'll take matters into my own hands and make this serpent of the stars pay." ”

Rumba's face twitched slightly, like a smile, but not like a smile.

"You know," Grand Duke Ronnie raised his gaze at this time, his eyes sharp, "This is for Exeter." ”

Rumba clenched his fists.

Trudida shrugged his shoulders, avoided Rumba's gaze, and said nothing.

Only Archduke Leco, from beginning to end, stared at Rumba without flinching.

"How's that, Charman," said the eldest duke, whose bald head looked particularly harsh, and his voice was very soft and slow, but with an aggressive air of its own, "your answer?"

Rumba grinned and gritted his teeth, like a demonstration before a wild beast pounced.

"Charman," Trudida said in a contradictory tone, as he pursed his lips slightly, "One word is enough." ”

Tails frowned: he saw the fist in Rumba's waist begin to tremble.

The face of the Grand Duke of Black Sand became more and more ugly - like a lion whose territory has been violated.

Tails' heart followed his expression.

Finally, after a few seconds, Rumba closed his eyes and let out a long sigh of relief.

The Grand Dukes stared at him intently.

It was as if it was the most important moment in the world.

In the next second, Rumba opened his eyes and spoke.

But not a single word came.

"Hahaha......"

Rumba tilted his head, grinned, and laughed sadly.

"Hahaha......"

The laughter grew louder and louder.

The Grand Dukes watched his performance, and their eyes gradually dimmed.

Tails gently reached out and shook the flustered Selma.

Rumba's laughter finally stopped.

"Forget it, it's time," Rumba turned his head, his expression of nonchalant relief, "No matter what I say, it doesn't make a difference, does it?"

"Even if we hit Eternal Star City," Grand Duke Heisha turned around, looked at his sword, and said in a cold tone, "You will continue to monitor me, and be wary of my every move, for fear that I will shake your interests." ”

"Nor will you allow any so-called seeds or sparks of change to emerge in the land of Exeter. ”

Grand Duke Aurecio gritted his teeth unwillingly: "So, your choice ......"

"I just think it's ironic," Rumba's face changed, and he suddenly raised his voice: "Why don't you understand?"

"Obviously the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is in front of you, when the opportunity to defeat the stars and change history is within reach," Rumba gritted his teeth, looked at the heavy expression of each Grand Duke, and roared in a suppressed voice: "Why do you all act like cowards!"

He turned around abruptly and faced the four Grand Dukes, with a look of disbelief on his face: "The end has not been born at all, the matter has not reached the last step at all, just listening to a child's nonsense, you are like a flock of frightened antelopes dodging around, hiding your head and tail." ”

Rumba's face contorted, and he raised his scabbard sharply: "The oath of co-governance, the destruction of the family, the severance of the bloodline, the loss of power, the decline of status - what a reason for this!"

"Exeter, what do you think it is?"

"Aren't we from the Northlands?" Grand Duke Heisha gritted his teeth, waved his sword scabbard, and moved his cloak: "Don't ask 'can't do it', only ask 'do it or not'—the Northlanders who are more afraid of failure than death!"

"Isn't it!"

His painful, difficult questioning voice echoed through the hall.

Archduke Leco closed his eyes.

Trudida covered her forehead and let out a long sigh.

Ronnie chuckled faintly.

Aletheus had a sad face.

Tails closed his eyes gently, only to feel that the boulder in his heart that was pressing on him had loosened.

He looked at Rumba, who had an abnormal expression in the field, breathed a sigh of relief, and said silently in his heart:

This game is over.

Checkmate.

(End of chapter)