"Gu?Sariton?"

Tails repeated incredulously, looking back and forth at Raphael and Gu's cells, trying to catch a glimmer of clarity in the jumble of memories and thoughts.

Explained. ”

The prince restrained his emotions and stared at Raphael seriously:

"Now. ”

Raphael was silent for a moment, and unnaturally tightened his arms:

"Your Highness, even though you are from a royal family, the secret department has not clarified your intelligence level for a long time......"

"Explain!" Tails interrupted him unceremoniously.

"I'm explaining," Raphael said coldly:

"It's just that I must explain, Your Highness, that I can only disclose to you information that is not higher than the level of a 'madman' without violating the rules. ”

"Maniac" level......

Tails shook his head impatiently:

"You don't have to explain the rules of these secret sciences to me—just explain. ”

Raphael sneered:

"I'm not telling you. ”

The Boneless Man slowly raised his arm: a black crack appeared in his forearm, and the muscle texture in it squirmed slightly, hiding an eerie shadow.

Just like six years ago.

Tails froze.

With difficulty, the prince withdrew his gaze from the other's arms, trying to return to the subject at hand.

"As you can see, this man's surname is Gu Mingtang - at least on the surface. ”

Raphael looked at Gu's cell door faintly:

"He was born in the official family of the Eastern Kingdom, and the royal intelligence organization that entered the night behind in the family road: Wuyiwei. ”

Gu Tang.

Wuyiwei.

Tails' eyes changed:

"You mean, he's a spy of the night?"

Raphael nodded, but also shook his head:

"It's the 'former' agent—at least the information we have gotten. ”

"Before?" Tails looked at Gu's cell, and he suddenly realized that he didn't know anything about the prisoner who had given him a shelter and a meal six years earlier.

Raphael's forearm tightened unnaturally, but his face did not change, and he continued to tell the story:

"Nineteen years ago in Qilin City, a clan disciple of the Chen clan staged a coup d'état in an attempt to crusade against Yao Wanghao, who had not been on the throne for a long time. During this period, the Wuyi Guard was also divided into two factions: Lin Du, the commander and prosecutor loyal to King Yao, finally won a complete victory, and he took over the command of the Wuyi Guard, cleaned up the portal, and exterminated all the 'traitors' in the guard. ”

Yao Wang Hao.

Captain of the Academy.

Strange and distant terms crossed the ocean and entered Tails's mind, making him frown.

But Raphael clearly did not mean to stop and explain for the prince:

"Gu belongs to the faction that is on the wrong side: he fled to the Western Continent incognito, and worked as a trader, craftsman, mercenary, etc., until the year of blood, when he took root in Longxiao City, and took advantage of the ruins and gaps after the battle between Exeter and Xingchen, and did the work of an intelligence dealer. ”

Tails took a deep breath and withdrew his gaze from the iron door of Gu's cell.

"What does that have to do with you—with us?"

The corners of Raphael's lips twitched slightly, and a sneer was drawn.

"We later found out that during the years in Longxiao City, Gu has done more than just his old job. ”

The Skeleton Man stared at the iron gate of the prison door:

In addition to buying and selling news, the Far Easterner's business also includes acting as an intermediary for the major powers to mediate conflicts. ”

"And for some contradictions that cannot be reconciled and cannot be ignored......"

Speaking of this, Raphael's eyes were cold:

"He'll look for the killer. ”

Killer.

Tails' nerves tightened.

Wait a minute.

Long Xiaocheng, Gu, intelligence dealer, killer, six years ago - the boy slowly connected the clues from many years ago, and his face gradually changed.

"That's right," Raphael sneered at Tails' face:

"Six years ago, in the corner of the gutter under the power of King Nunn, the underground forces were scattered: Grivo controlled the streets, Urad ran rampant in the black market, the Comas people profited from the middle, and there were countless other hills, with intricate relationships and tangled chaos. ”

"And he," Raphael raised his chin towards Gu's cell door:

"Your Far Eastern friend has spent ten years gradually taking over the dirtiest and most dangerous business, and has become the largest and most convenient killer contact in Longxiao City. ”

Tails' eye sockets slowly dilated.

"From street hooligans and outlaw criminals, to the Shadow Shield and even the Flower of Assassins, he knows everything well. ”

"Buying life with one hand and selling life with the other hand can be called deeply hidden, and the hands and eyes are open to the sky. ”

Shadow Shield.

Assassin's Flower.

Tails stared at Gu's cell for a moment, his gaze not moving for half a minute.

But his eyes had changed.

If Gu is the biggest killer intermediary in Longxiao City, it is six years ago......

In the next second, Raphael said what Tails was worried about:

"Charman Rumba, the Grand Duke of Black Sand at that time found the Shadow Shield through Gu. ”

The two sides colluded and reached a cooperation. ”

Tails turned his head stiffly,

The collaboration between Charman Rumba and the Shadow Shield.

Their intermediary is......

Look at?

He couldn't help but think of when he was a child, he and Xiao Slippery Tou hid in the carriage tremblingly, watching the scene of the Grand Duke of Heisha talking with the chisel joint.

However, Raphael's words are not finished:

In the end, given the difficulty of the target, Gu took out the relationship at the bottom of the box and connected him with the most powerful and terrifying killer in the world - he relied on a treacherous and sinister lore knife to break through the defenses of the White Blade Guards and take the head of the Born King in the chaos caused by the disaster. ”

At that moment, Tails froze in place.

Raphael squinted slightly:

"And do you know who that is?"

The hallway fell silent.

It was a long time before Tails exhaled with difficulty:

"Yes. ”

Raphael sneered, ignoring the prince's extremely ugly expression at the moment:

"He knows how to contact the family of the Monarch who fled after the bloody years, and that alone is enough for us to hold him until he dies of old age – or confesses. ”

Tails didn't speak, just pinched his left fist, his fingertips brushing over the scar on his palm that had been cut open by JC countless times.

"But this is not the first time. ”

Raphael continues:

"At least, in Gu's ledger, 'Flying Locust Blade' is not the first business that has anything to do with you. ”

Tails struggled to digest the new information and raised his gaze.

In the next second, Raphael's eyes were cold:

"Six years ago, Your Highness, when you went on an expedition to the north, you and the wrath of the kingdom were surrounded by the Black Sand army of the Rumba under the Broken Dragon Fortress, and were bombarded by the magic spear troops......"

"Who do you think found the Assassins of Conkley Puffett, the Grand Duke of Beacon City, through a variety of communication channels, who could even fight against the Magic Gun Instructor, so that he could get what he wanted and watch you die in the ranks of the Rumba?"

Magic Gun.

Tails' brows tightened, as if he had returned to the fortress of six years ago, facing countless swords and swords.

His expression was solemn:

"You mean, that's also Gu Juzhong's contact?"

Raphael snorted lightly and shook his arm slightly:

"And you said that he helped you in Longxiao City and saved your life?"

Tails subconsciously looked at Gu's cell.

"Then think about it again, Your Highness. ”

At that moment, although Raphael's words were still relaxed, they were full of unknown darkness between the lines:

"Do you think that the 'earth-shaking' Kaslan, who betrayed King Nunn, really informed you of the channel to contact Gu in the tavern because he liked you, so that you could go to this seemingly mysterious and neutral underground figure when you escaped from the siege of Longxiao City?"

Kaslan.

Six and a half pieces.

Tails' gaze was firmly fixed on the gate of the cell, but his fists clenched tighter and tighter.

"Do you think that there are really so many kind-hearted Far Easterners in Longxiao City, when they are knocked on the door by a mysterious aristocratic kid during the martial law period, they always entertain him with good wine, good food and good bed, just because the child looks well-behaved, cute, smart and kind?"

Far Easterners.

Entertain.

The prince gritted his teeth, trying to recall the scene of himself and Xiao Slippery in Gu's butcher's shop that morning.

"Do you think it's really such a coincidence, when the whole Longxiao City is in chaos, a shady intelligence dealer only needs to walk out of the house for two minutes, and can smoothly bring back the envoy of a country who came alone, the Marquis of Shanliu City, Srice Bermula—so that he can give you to Chaman Rumba after changing hands?"

Intelligence traffickers.

Sleith.

Raphael's words were as sharp as a blade, one after the other, breaking through Tails's defenses:

"All these doubts, all these strange things, these things that seem reasonable but cannot be investigated, did you think about it before you took him as a savior?"

At that moment, Tails took a deep breath and suppressed the sin of the Prison River that was gradually boiling.

If, if Raphael said these doubts are problematic.

That is, the things he once thought they were......

"Yes, Gu. ”

Raphael spoke coldly, not giving the prince time to react:

"He never helped you. ”

"On the contrary,"

"It was he who betrayed you. ”

Tails closed his eyes slightly.

Six and a half pieces.

He didn't help you.

He betrayed you.

At that moment, the cell where Gu was held seemed to become less conspicuous.

Dead silence returned to the hallway.

Raphael breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at the cell door with the same complicated eyes:

"And he betrayed us. ”

Tails spent a lot of energy calming his mood, and slowly opened his eyes when he heard the words, trying to maintain a calm tone:

"He and the Kingdom Secret Branch, you also cooperate?"

Raphael nodded:

"Once, yes. ”

The desolate bone man looked at Gu's cell door and snorted disdainfully:

"Obviously, whether it's Exeter, the Kingdom of the Stars, the Commath Alliance, or even the Shadow Shield and the Tower of End, this self-proclaimed neutral intelligence dealer has become accustomed to 'cooperating' with everyone, collecting money from all sides, patting his chest around, going back and forth, and then profiting in the bloody void where his clients kill each other. ”

"The only difference is that this time, he played badly. ”

Tails stiffened his cheeks:

"What did he do?"

Raphael was silent for a few seconds.

"As you mentioned, Karen Booker, one of the few 'wise' intelligence officers in the Kingdom Secret Division, is a loss we cannot afford to lose. ”

"And we abandoned the headquarters of Longxiao City six years later, and we were more or less affected by this, which is a last resort. ”

Tails exhaled, trying to exhale the bitterness and depression out of his heart:

"What happened?"

Raphael shook his head and glanced at Gu's cell:

"That's what we want to figure out. ”

"From his mouth. ”

Tails stood silently in place, with mixed feelings.

Instead, Raphael sighed and resumed his relaxed and indifferent posture:

"Just like this, Your Highness, even in the face of the past that seems to be a foregone conclusion, there are still too many terrible details that no one knows underneath. ”

"So, when you turned the tide in Valhalla six years ago, Your Highness. ”

Raphael lamented:

"Don't forget, on that day, outside Valhalla, the Mystic Division's men were also in the unseen battlefield, fighting enemies in the shadows to the death, even if it was just for a page of letterhead, a text, a signal, to give you and the kingdom one more chance to win—Booker was one of them. ”

Tails' eyes moved.

"The prince's butt - that's a funny name, isn't it. ”

Raphael turned to face the dark, almost endless corridor, with a faint glimmer in his eyes:

"However, all of them are survivors of the 'Dragon's Blood' plan that changed the general trend of the world six years ago, and the Kingdom Secret Branch and King Nunn, the Dark Chamber, the White-Bladed Guard, Chaman Rumba, the Shadow Shield, and the Comas and other enemies have been left behind in the dead bodies and sacrifices all over the ground. ”

Tails looked up in surprise.

"And we don't tell you certain information, not because we don't believe you, but because you can't throw away your burdens, forget yourself, and devote yourself to the dark and dirty mission to accomplish your goals, as we do. ”

Raphael narrowed his eyes and gestured to Gu's cell:

"Even if you think ...... You owe your target a life. ”

In this case, if you force yourself to understand only half of the way, you will only go further and further, lose the ability to discern the truth, and be led by the nose. ”

Abandon the burden and forget the self.

Tails frowned slightly.

"You're not us, Tails, and you're supposed to live under the sun and the blue sky," Raphael sighed, and in a rare way, instead of using an honorific title, he called the duke by his first name:

"It's up to us to face the Hell. ”

At that moment, his dark red eyes were incomparably sincere.

Tails, however, remembered Raphael's different faces in the interrogation room with Dagory the wine merchant, Gibbon the blacksmith, the nobles of the Blade Lord, and Belicia.

There was a long silence in the hallway.

Until His Royal Highness the Prince spoke again, his voice hoarse:

"Then how do I know that the person who is leading me by the nose is not you?"

Raphael paused slightly.

"When you actually sit in that seat, Your Highness. ”

Raphael's smile faded:

"When you can really decide the world's affairs with one word, and when you can determine the country with one finger, when you can have full control over the goals, missions, operations, budgets, development, and future of the Kingdom Secret Branch......"

"You'll see. ”

Tails listened to the familiar words with a blank expression.

But unlike in the past, this time, he no longer refutes.

In a dreary mood, Tails followed Raphael out of the labyrinthine underground corridors, and through many levels, he left the main mansion of Mycco Manor through the gates, and returned to the place where they had first dismounted.

But Raphael frowned.

"You called someone to pick you up?"

Tails, who was in a trance, came back to his senses:

"What?"

But the prince was also stunned: there were two carriages parked in front of them, one was the seat of their arrival from the Fuxing Palace, and the other was ......

"Your Highness!"

With a familiar shout, a stocky man dressed in royal guard garb jumped out of the driver's seat of the carriage - it was the guard officer in the Mindith Hall who had fought with Tails, Konmutto.

"Your Highness Tails, you are indeed here......"

Konmuto was sweating profusely, but he was still in good spirits after seeing Tails and bowed:

"At the behest of Chief Marios, at your service. ”

Tails was slightly puzzled, but Raphael and the mycochariot driver in the other carriage both stared coldly at the Konmuto, who appeared here, with unkind expressions.

"It's okay," Tails said when he saw this:

"He's my man, the Star Lake Guard. ”

Raphael snorted lightly:

"Are you sure?"

Tails tightened the corners of his mouth and stepped forward.

"Commutto?"

The prince cleaned up his mess:

"Aren't you supposed to be in Mindis Hall? Why are you here?"

Commutto withdrew his wary gaze from Raphael's body.

"Sir Marlos gave me an order before entering the palace, Your Highness, and he told me to keep an eye on one thing: if there is any accident, I will slip out of the Mindish Hall, gather men, and come here to meet you. ”

"to avoid ...... Your inconvenience. ”

Marhros?

Inconvenient.

Tails realized something and glanced back at Raphael behind him.

The Bones Man was silent for a second, and finally stepped back with a sense of interest.

Tails turned his head and asked the point.

"You say...... Accident?"

"Soon after you and your chief enter the palace, Your Highness," said Commutto, a slight sigh, but nevertheless told the truth:

And the man who held the flag came. ”

Flag wings.

Led by the deputy captain of the Vogel Talen guard at the banquet, one of the six wings of the guard that D.D said?

What are they coming to do?

Tails was slightly puzzled:

"What do you mean?"

Commutto cautiously observed Tyres' reaction:

"You know, the leader of the team is the second flag bearer, Gaitan...... They couldn't help but say that they directly blocked the Mindis Hall and detained everyone, saying that they were going to be fully reviewed. ”

Tails was taken aback:

"What?"

Blockade...... Mindis Hall?

"Why?"

Commutto smiled reluctantly:

Gaitan said that it was because of yesterday's accident at the banquet. ”

Tails exhaled stiffly and painfully.

Sure enough.

It's this again.

"They say that our negligence means that there are security loopholes or even internal ghosts, which could jeopardize the prince's safety, so a thorough audit is needed from top to bottom. ”

Commutto sighed, a little depressed:

"The review of the flag wing is very ...... Zonevide was interrogated for two hours before he came out, and his face was not very good. And Morgan was almost handcuffed in, and Costa was even suspected of being a foreign spy, and Stoke told us to be obedient and not resist, but Nehi almost got into a big fight with them, and the Patterson penistor wanted to rely on his identity to intercede, but Gaitan was notoriously spicy, and no one would give ...... face"

Tails' brow furrowed tighter.

"Always, it was a big operation, accompanied by the Bright Star Private Army, the Noble Affairs House and the Inner City Alert Hall, I suspect that there are even people from the Kingdom Secret Department among them, the team is huge, I guess many people have seen it. ”

Tails' eyes widened as he listened to Konmutto's story.

What do you mean?

Mindis Room.

The royal capital residence given by the King to the Duke of Xinghu.

Censored by Block?

Tails let out a breath and tried to release his fist, trying to figure out what was going on.

"How did you sneak out?"

"I used to hang out in the Inner City Guard Hall, Your Highness," Commutto's gaze was a little evasive, and he seemed reluctant to mention these relationships:

"There are a few security officers in charge of cordoning off the perimeter, and I am acquainted. ”

"Originally, Piloga could have slipped out together, but Gaitan had an old grudge against him when he was young, and he was stared at him to death, and it was probably not going to make him feel better. ”

Commutto looked behind the carriage:

"The only person I could find was Glover - he had left in the morning to recuperate from his injuries, and the man in charge of the flag wing was very unhappy about it. ”

Tails frowned slightly:

"Glovor?"

As soon as the words ended, a familiar figure appeared from the other side of the carriage.

"Your Highness. ”

The first-class vanguard officer of the Star Lake Guard, the sturdy "zombie" Gloover came to Tails fully armed with a serious expression:

"We should go back to the city at once, I always felt something on the other side of the carriage, in the woods, staring at us, with bad intentions. ”

Seeing the most familiar pioneer officer, Tails was completely relieved.

But then he frowned, and looked at Glove's back:

"But ...... your injuries"

Glovor shook his head and pulled his neckline open, revealing the bandage inside.

"Out of the way, my finishing power relieves the pain, and ......"

Glove stroked his arm, his brow furrowed imperceptibly:

"Lord Marlos, he showed mercy when he flogged me. ”

"It's like...... It seems that he knows that this will happen, and he needs me. ”

Tails was stunned for a moment, but then remembered what Marios had said in the morning before he explained "Temple" and "Imperial Wind" to him.

[Over there in Fuxing Palace, haven't you come yet?]

[I promise you, they will come, sooner or later. 】

Tails suppressed his bad mood, he understood something, and asked:

"What about D.D., who was also deliberately whipped by Marios in order to release Mindis Hall to avoid trouble?"

Glover shook his head:

"No, I've seen it, Doyle's injury should be real, he was beaten badly. ”

One, after yesterday's events, the Doyle family is on the cusp - Gloufer thought silently.

Two, well, Lord Marlos probably holds a grudge.

Especially after D.D. called him 'Little Tormund' through wine at the banquet.

"So, Marlos knew it would be like this," Tails' words interrupted Grove's thoughts:

"The Fuxing Palace he entered with me, what about the others now?"

Kong Muto on the side answered:

"Weah, an acquaintance in charge of the Flag Wing, owes me a favor, and he has just sent me the news that Lord Marlos is still in the Revival Palace. ”

He hesitated for a second:

"With Captain Talen...... Together. ”

Tails let out a sigh.

Got it.

So to speak, Tormond Marios, his favorite captain of the guard.

Even if he had anticipated the current situation......

At this moment, it is difficult to protect itself.

"Flag wing," the prince sighed, "Vogel Talen." ”

"It's guts. ”

Commutto and Crofo looked at each other.

Tails turned around and shouted to Raphael in the distance:

"Raphael, do you know this?"

As the bone-man approached, Tails noticed that the other's eyes were disguised in a different color.

Under the unkind gaze of the two royal guards, Raphael showed a friendly smile:

"What's the matter?"

Tails glanced at him and snorted coldly:

"It's fine. ”

"If you are inconvenienced, Your Highness," Raphael, apparently very sensitive, saw some clues in the expressions of the three men:

"You're more than welcome to stay a few more hours......"

"Thank you, but not anymore. Tails decisively refused.

"I guess you don't mind if I go back with my guards?"

Raphael looked at Tails for a few seconds.

"Please," the barren smiled, calling the names of the other two as if they were a few treasures:

"Gary Gloufer of the Gloufo family, and Gianluca Commutto from the Alert Department, members of the famous royal guard, of course we can trust. ”

Gloufo and Kommutozzi frowned, but Raphael had already bowed and turned to walk away.

"That's ......" Gallover looked at Raphael's distant back, and then slowly released the hilt of the sword that he was unconsciously holding in his hand.

"The guy who wiped my ass. Tails said sullenly.

The prince was about to board the carriage without saying anything:

"Now, let's go back to Mindis Hall – to deal with the Flag Wing. ”

Yet Glaufer shook his head resolutely:

"No, Your Highness. ”

Tails' expression changed slightly.

"What does Chief Marios mean," Commutto took over, smiling a little stiffly:

"Don't rush back to the Mindis Hall just yet. ”

Tails looked confused.

Commutto said cautiously:

"The people who hold the flag, they carry ...... His Majesty's warrant. ”

His Majesty's warrant.

Tails was stunned.

"And people from all sectors are ......"

Konmuto sneered:

"If you come forward rashly and the scene is not good......"

He didn't say any more.

But Tails already understood.

The prince stood in front of the carriage in a daze.

"So," Tails said in a trance:

"I entered the Fuxing Palace with my front foot, and my back foot was copied from the old nest, and now I can't go back to my home?"

Kongmuto was ashamed:

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but we didn't guard the banquet well, which caused such an accident......

"Nope. ”

Tails forced himself to calm down, trying to sort out the mess of the day.

"No, no, no. ”

"No, trust me," Tails suddenly wanted to laugh after thinking about it:

"It's definitely not your reason. ”

After returning to the stars for so long, he has been following the rules and not daring to be presumptuous.

Last night, for the first time since returning home, he made a choice of freedom, and possibly risky.

And then he paid the price.

Tails smiled dumbly, causing the two guards to look at each other.

As punishment, he had just listened to a royal council with trepidation, and was mercilessly reprimanded by the king, and then taken to the secret department, where he enjoyed the full company of the Black Prophet, and even his Mindis Hall and Star Lake Guards were beaten severely.

As for now......

Glover interjected in a low voice:

"In fact, Lord Marlos suggested that we go back to the Fuxing Palace. ”

"Back to the Fuxing Palace?" Tails scoffed, with a bit of mockery that he couldn't even feel:

"Go to my father?"

"No, go find Lady Ginny," Commutto said, staring at Tails' expression:

"The chief said that only she can ...... at this time"

Protect you.

Conmuto took the rest to heart.

Tails was silent.

Find Jenny.

Yes.

So, it's back to six years ago, when I first arrived at the Mindis Hall.

Faced with countless known and unknown threats, they can only float and sink with the waves.

Seeking the protection of others.

Six years ago.

The prince held the chariot with a blank face and did not move.

A long time has passed.

Finally, after Commutto gave Gloover a third look in a row, Duke Starlake closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

"No, we're not going back to the Fuxing Palace. ”

"Don't go to Ms. Ginny. ”

Commutto and Golofo frowned.

Tails opened his eyes.

"We went to the West Ring District, Red Square Street. ”

At that moment, both guards were stunned for a moment:

"What?"

Tails pinched the axle of the carriage and gritted his teeth gently:

"There's a clubhouse called 'One Night Encounter'. ”

Commuto's eyes widened, and Glove's face was solemn.

"Your Highness, go there...... What to do?" asked Commutto cautiously.

"What to do? Of course it's ......"

Tailsson wheeled, glanced at him, and said in a calm tone:

"Go find a woman. ”

Konmutto first understood, and then was embarrassed:

"But, Your Highness, your identity ......"

Tails scoffed.

"Who said I was going to go as a prince?"

The prince boarded the car and pointed to the two from afar:

"You lead the way, Commuto, let's go and change our outfits, and then you lead in, Glov. ”

Zombie a Spirit:

"But ......"

But Tails unceremoniously interrupted him:

"Remember, Glovoe, ...... after that"

"Your name is called," Tails' smile disappeared in this second, and his voice was extremely cold:

"Raphael Lindbergh. ”