Arcane splendor begins with the throne

Chapter 112 Meeting
There was fine snow falling in the sky, and Duke Swift could clearly feel the snowflakes falling on his face, which melted as soon as he touched his skin, like a gentle rain.

At this time, he was sore, tired and hungry, and rode through the towering Griffin Gate of the Royal Palace of Jinyu City in a bad mood.

"Hey! This is not our Duke of Silver Griffin. It's been a long time." The magic swordsman Snake Eyes appeared quietly from the marble pillar carved with griffin patterns, and greeted lazily.

"What a coincidence! We haven't seen each other for a long time, Mr. Snake Eyes, you still look like you deserve a beating."

Duke Swift took a deep breath and exhaled a long cloud of white mist. Then he got off his horse, threw the reins to the guard of the Griffon Gate, and went straight to meet Snake Eye.

He was wearing a thick cloak with a fluffy collar, and when he strode towards Snake Eye, he took the opportunity to take off the hood again.

"It's no coincidence, I've been waiting for you here." Snake Eyes leaned against the stone pillar, his pale pupils stared at his pair of leather boots that had been worn down to the point where they were wrinkle-free, and said casually:
"The gate tower of Golden Feather City is in charge of Thrane dwarf artisans. The statues of griffins are lifelike, especially those sharp eyes, as if watching each of us pass under the gate."

"Really? I didn't pay much attention to this, but from my point of view, they are not as sharp as your eyes." Duke Swaite pulled off the brown gloves he wore on horseback, stuffed them into his belt, and said with a smile:

"Snake Eye, you have to know that I don't care about the shitty bearded carvings. Just say that someone is watching me closely. As soon as I entered the city, he got hold of my movements. That's fine."

Duke Swift walked to the side of Snake Eye, the magic swordsman, and the two came to a hidden corner of the palace together.

"I'm just passing on what Prince Casper said to you, that's all." Snake Eyes shrugged to show his helplessness.

"This bitch..." Duke Swift whistled softly when he heard Prince Casper, and said with a smile:

"Pious and upright Prince Casper, a brave and fearless knight, a noble and flawless man. You are waiting for me here, you must not be bored, what's the matter? I just have something to ask you."

"I'm here mainly to inform you that the Duke of Silver Griffin will go to the chamber if it's convenient. There is an urgent meeting that needs to be held." Snake Eyes blinked at the Duke beside him and said with a smile.

"It's not convenient for me at all. As soon as I came back from Tegrila, I rushed to Golden Feather City non-stop."

Duke Swift said angrily: "I was stopped by you when I was still on horseback. Now, I just want to take a good hot bath, have half a roast sheep, and then have a good sleep. Sleep."

"It's okay, Duke Silver Griffin, I'll tell His Majesty the King that you are not convenient to attend." Snake Eyes bowed casually, and then said to him with a pretended respectful expression.

After speaking, he was ready to turn around and leave.

"Forget it! Needless to say, it must be the idea of ​​our pious and upright Prince Casper."

Duke Swift stopped him, frowned, and asked curiously: "Do you know who will attend any meeting?"

"About the princess's marriage." Snake Eyes said, "In addition to Grand Maester Boen, that old fellow Morelle is also there."

"I knew it." Duke Swift pretended to smile relaxedly, and said to Snake Eyes: "Then, how did you do what I told you to do?"

"He's pretty good." Snake Eyes pondered for a moment, then seriously commented.

"Then I'm relieved." Duke Swift looked relieved and spit out a mouthful of white mist. He faced the south and looked at the gray sky, "Where are the Tasha people? How is the progress?"

"Everything is going well." Snake Eyes lowered his pale pupils, was silent for a moment, then raised his head, looked directly at Duke Swift's majestic face, and said word by word:
"Duke Silver Griffin, I have to admit that this method of yours is simply... a disaster for any Tasha people. I feel ashamed."

"A disaster?" Duke Swift snorted coldly. "The pursuit of war is victory. There is no right or wrong. Have you forgotten the battle with the Tasha people in the Goblin Wasteland two years ago? Destroy a kingdom one soldier at a time, believe me, even the most benevolent ruler is willing to do so."

"What about the elves?" Snake Eyes said abruptly, "You don't intend to avenge your child?"

"It's because I want to avenge my own children that I have to."

Duke Swaite was silent for a moment, and said coldly: "He was killed by Tasha's spies, and then planted on the elves. I only learned about this rumor two months ago, and I learned the truth after investigation." .”

After speaking, he once again recalled the content of the conversation with Brian in Thorn Castle, which made him add another thick hatred to the Tasha people.

"I wish you good luck, dear Duke." Snake Eyes smiled slightly, turned around and disappeared into the shadows.

Duke Sweat shook the snow from his clothes, and then he put on his cloak and strode towards the meeting hall of the palace.

The furnishings of the meeting hall were as gorgeous as the one he saw two years ago.

The floor is covered with a hand-woven carpet from the southern kingdom of Florence, and in the corner of the room is a fir screen from Deep Stream Harbor, which is vividly carved with a picture of a griffin hunting a herd of hippogriffs.

On both sides of the door are a pair of golden griffin statues made by dwarven craftsmen. The sharp pupils are piercing in the marble, just like his griffin mount in Thorn Castle.

As soon as Duke Swift stepped into the room, he clearly felt that the chamber was much warmer than the outside.

However, in the room, Prince Casper, who disgusted him the most, immediately greeted him.

"This is not our Duke of Silver Griffin, the guardian of the kingdom's northern border, the elf slayer, the legion leader of the Griffin Rider, and the latest title: the busiest diplomatic ambassador in West."

"Hello, pious and upright Prince Casper, a brave and fearless knight, a noble and flawless man, I really look forward to your generosity in the tournament." Duke Swift replied coldly and politely.

Prince Casper, half-brother of the old king.

Twenty-five years ago, he was just a snotty brat when he joined Tigrila's army to fight against elves in Blackman.

Now that he has grown up, although his handsome appearance can almost make girls all over the country happy, Duke Sweet can always feel a feminine aura emanating from him that makes him disgusted.

And, what really puts him off.

In the Battle of the Goblin Wilderness two years ago, if Prince Capers hadn't vowed to borrow reinforcements from the Kingdom of Andair, their Royal Highness might not have ventured deeper because of this. A miserable situation for both sides.

Although he found no flaws in the reason after the event, and everyone, including the confused old king, was convinced by it, but he was the only one who had been brooding over that incident.

"I won't get involved with young people's affairs." Prince Casper gracefully stroked the long golden hair on his forehead and said with a smile.

"Yeah, we won't get involved with young people's affairs." Duke Swift also smiled back:

"After all, I don't want to be overturned by my horse and poked by my lance, don't you think so? Our brave and fearless knight."

"That's right." Prince Casper rubbed his shoulders covered by the gorgeous griffin cloak, and said with a grin: "This commemoration still impresses me, it is more painful than the sharp arrow that took root in the elf's butt hundred times."

"Duke Swift, you have worked hard all the way, please sit down."

A scholar with a gray beard and thinning hair, who was older than the old wizard Morelle beside him, interrupted the exchange between the two. He raised his hand and smiled.

"It's the same for you, Grand Master Born." Duke Swett pulled out a chair, sat next to the old wizard Morelle with his eyes closed, and replied:
"I heard that from the day Princess Kearney was cursed by the devil, your old man would bow down to the statue of the God of Knowledge Oghma every day, praying for her speedy recovery. Gods are merciful, our princess really woke up safe and sound .Oghma must have heard your prayer."

"It has nothing to do with me." The old scholar waved his hand, "We should thank Brian, who rescued the princess, a half-elf adventurer who puts equal emphasis on swordsmanship and magic."

"I think so too, Grand Master Born." Duke Swift nodded and said, "It was his arrival that brought hope to our kingdom. We must sincerely thank him, are you right? Pious and upright Prince Casper."

"Of course." Prince Casper smiled and said, "Your Majesty has prepared a luxurious feast for this adventurer to entertain him, and even the prince of Andair will come to accompany him. It is said that the gods gave him the greatest glory."

"The banquet must have been very lively." Duke Swift praised: "No wonder I saw noble knights from various kingdoms gathering in Golden Feather City one after another. To me, this is simply an adventure.

At the west gate of Golden Feather City, I saw someone drowned in the moat, passed by a tavern, and found a drunken riot. The gifted kobold chased him all over the street. During this time, the kobold caused two fires, a rape, four knife fights, and countless robberies. "

"So it's a wrong choice to hold a martial arts tournament to celebrate the princess." University Bachelor Boen glanced at Prince Casper and said with lingering fear:
"The coming cold wave can't stop the noble knights' enthusiasm for glory. Yesterday, an acrobatic goblin released the ogre from the cage, sneaked into the stable, and liberated all the horses. He restrained himself and got one of the most irritable heavy horses drunk.

The day before yesterday, dwarves and halflings were drinking and making trouble, and their filthy words directly triggered a racial discrimination war. Half-elves, elves, gnomes, half-orcs, and us humans all participated in it.The gods are merciful, their spittle can almost drown people. "

"That scene was simply too terrifying." Wizard Morelle opened his eyes and said with a frown:

"Many victims also complained to our princess because everyone knows that this is to celebrate the princess's martial arts tournament. In the impression of most commoners, Princess Corney has become a savage and willful young lady. This is not a good sign.

In fact, our innocent princess doesn't know it at all, which is like rubbing salt in the wound for a princess recovering from a serious illness. "

"Everyone, you can't think like this." Prince Casper said: "You know, a kingdom prospers because of this kind of thing. For noble knights, this is the best time for them to seek glory.

As for the civilians of Golden Feather City, they can still make a lot of money with this, don't you find out?The hotels and hostels in the city were full, and the lovely girls couldn't close their legs and get out of bed when they received guests. "

"I'm afraid only the gods in the sky know whose pocket the money has flowed into." Duke Switt said sarcastically with a snort.

At this moment, the aged old king walked in slowly.

Everyone stood up to salute.

Under the gaze of respectful gazes, Old Wang Guo sat down on a chair with griffins embroidered with gold thread on the back of the conference table, "My lords, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, please sit down. "

Seeing the four people seated, the old king continued: "The gods are merciful, and my only child survived this catastrophe safely. I called you here today to discuss the marriage of the princess."

After the old king finished speaking, he closed his eyes gently, leaned on the chair as if resigned to his fate, and pretended to listen quietly.

"Your Majesty, I still retain my opinion half a year ago." Prince Casper said:

"I think Princess Kearney and Andair's second prince Vikkiman are the most suitable choices. You have met the child in person, so I don't need to introduce too much. Gods, he is definitely a support The perfect choice for a princess."

The old king nodded slightly, but it was hard to see what he meant.

"Your Majesty." Duke Swift was silent for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Have you forgotten Princess Corney's previous engagement?"

The old king paused, opened his eyes, looked at Duke Swift, nodded and sighed:

"Of course I remember, ten years ago, I personally went to Tegrila to choose for my child, what a pity..."

"Duke Swift went to Tegrila himself, maybe it's for this purpose?" University Maester Boen asked curiously with a look on his face.

Wizard Morel looked over thoughtfully.

"Duke Sweet, you have to think about it." Prince Casper said, "Half a year ago, the king of Tigrila told us that the prince had long since escaped marriage, so the engagement will naturally come to an end. .”

"That's right." Duke Swift ignored Prince Casper, but looked at the old king, and said straight to the point:

"I have confirmed this matter with the king of Tigrila. This half-elf prince is now living in our palace."

The old king raised his eyebrows, showing interest.

"Duke Swift, the person you're talking about, could it be..." Wizard Morelle pointedly said.

"It seems that Your Majesty the wizard has been suspicious for a long time." Duke Swift nodded, and said in a calm tone: "That's right, the half-elf wizard Brian who rescued the princess is the third prince of Tigrila."

"It's ridiculous." Prince Casper looked at Duke Swift mockingly, and said with a smile:

"The mentioning of a marriage contract that has long been voided will make the countries laugh. Let's not mention it for the time being. Just because of his half-elf status, he will never be able to get together with Princess Corney.

Duke of Swift, as the guardian of the northern border, have you forgotten the harm the elves have caused to the civilians on the border?Besides, don't forget that his elven blood is still the elven royal family of 'Star Flower' El Adonis. "

"Indeed." Wizard Morelle stroked his gray beard, and said solemnly and seriously:

"This half-elf wizard now lives near me, in an abandoned elf tower. I can feel the dangerous aura emanating from him. I think it is not suitable for Princess Korni."

Wizard Morel shuddered when he recalled the item that Brian had asked him to order in order to sign the original contract with the devil.

Therefore, he thought, the dangerous wizard must not be allowed to marry the princess.

After all, he is a wizard, and he knows nothing about the profession of wizard.

"Prince Casper, you are wrong about one thing." Grand Maester Born said, "It is precisely because of the blood of the half-elf prince and the elf royal family that I think it is the best choice to marry the princess. In this way we can Through the half-elf prince, use peaceful means to resolve the conflict between humans and elves.

After all, in our Golden Feather City, including the entire kingdom, not only humans live, but also many non-human races.Gods be merciful, we must never discriminate against races as the Southern Kingdoms do.

Because I can feel that the era belonging to the gods is really coming, are you right?Your Excellency Wizard Morelle, I heard that you have been studying the teachings of the God of Storms recently. "

"Although the teachings of Talos, the God of Storms, are full of catastrophic destruction, if used in the right place, it is no less than getting a powerful enough to reverse the situation."

Wizard Morelle said calmly, "So, I know it well, and at the same time, I know very well how to control this destructive force."

"I hope so..." University Maester Boen sincerely prayed.

"Whether it's the blood of the elves, or the age of the gods." Prince Casper interrupted the conversation between the two, and calmly analyzed:

"What we are discussing now is a marriage related to the kingdom and political interests. Nowadays, Tigrila and Niluskan are at war all year round. Even if they form an alliance with them, they will not get any benefits. Instead, they will help them. Relatively Speaking of which, the biggest advantage of forming an alliance with Andair is that it can help us alleviate the threat of the Tasha people."

"The Andairians, a group of opportunists, are known as allies who are always late. They are not worth making friends with. Haven't you learned your lesson from the Goblin Wasteland battle two years ago? As for the Tasha people, it won't be long before this threat will be completely eliminated. Release."

Duke Sweat said disdainfully: "So, according to the ancient traditions left by our ancestors, I still think that the best choice is our ally, Tegrila, who has established diplomatic relations with us for thousands of years."

"Duke Sweet, you are so bold." Prince Casper sarcastically said:
"It won't take long for the threat of the Tasha people to be completely eliminated? Are you so easy to deceive when we are all three-year-old children? Everyone knows that the Tasha people are becoming stronger and stronger, and the surrounding kingdoms can only form alliances to seek self-protection."

"Don't you know how loud I am?" Duke Swift met his gaze without showing any weakness, and snorted coldly.

"At least, I have fulfilled everything that I personally promised. I don't know if others have fulfilled it. I'm afraid only the gods in the sky will know."

"Okay, stop arguing."

The old king suddenly interrupted everyone's conversation. He looked around, met everyone's eyes, and said firmly:
"As Grand Master Boen said, the era of the gods is coming. If this is the case, then let the born gods decide the future happiness of my children and the fate of the Kingdom of West."

…………

　PS: Additional update 8/15 for leader love Jiangnan_.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)