Salhi II showed the paper to Jenkins by the firelight, and Jenkins read it:
"B-07-5-7325 [King Stanley's Restraint]? This thing is actually in your family's treasure house?"
Jenkins was surprised that the name of this thing was not even on the list of items provided by Dolores.
"Do you know what this is?"
"Of course I know, this is a magical item that a human king sacrificed his entire family in exchange for a god whose name was not recorded in the twelfth century. As long as the person recognized as the king touches the parchment, every time In the morning, at noon, and at dusk every day, read the words written on the parchment, and there will never be rebellion in the country under his control."
"So that country has existed for a long time?"
The eldest princess Yani Stuart couldn't help asking.
"No, that country was wiped out by an abnormal meteorite rain in the second year, and no one in the whole country survived. After that, no king dared to touch it again."
Jenkins sighed and said:
"So, don't ask for power from any existence you don't understand. This is a very dangerous behavior."
Salhi II didn't take it seriously, probably pretending not to hear the hidden meaning in Jenkins' words. He pressed the parchment on the blank space of the chessboard:
"Using the ancient contract as an oath, in the coming war, all combatants will not die easily. As a price, the farmland around Loen will have no harvest this year."
"Oh? Are you sure you want this?"
Jenkins asked in surprise, Salhi II did not help Salot's side, but instead helped everyone in the ensuing turmoil. He could understand this kind of behavior, after all, it was his children and his subjects no matter what, but it would be too cruel to let the farmland fail.
Loen, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, is located on the edge of a rare plain in the northern part of the Kingdom, with the northern mountains as its back. This is an important production area in the northern part of the kingdom. Although there is only one crop a year, due to the amazing fertility of the soil, the output of the farmland near Loen is enough to support one-seventh of the kingdom's population's food needs.
"Don't worry, I have my own arrangements for this matter."
Salhi II said peacefully.
"I'm curious, where did you get this chessboard? Don't say it's in the royal family's treasury. I don't believe your family can collect treasures of this level."
Jenkins finally asked the question.
"It was given to me by the ancestor who enlightened me and made me understand that there was something wrong with my own practice."
"Ancestor?"
Jenkins thought in his heart, guessing that the ancestor of the Stuart family was passing the news to his descendants. If that ancestor was really lucky enough to enter the kingdom of the master because of the karma of the ice shooter chess piece, he would "appear" again at the current time. "And giving instructions to future generations seems to be acceptable.
After Salhi came Jenkins, who continued to give Dolores instructions to guard the palace. Although Dolores had fewer people, she had plenty of firearms, and the palace itself was built on a small hill in the center of the city, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, so defending the palace was much easier than defending Loen City.
Jenkins did not forget the disappearing avatar of Sarhi II, nor did he forget that Duke Rodbyer had an item that Sarhi II asked him to keep. So Dolores was asked to bribe the Duke directly with the "sin coin symbol" to get that item.
"Are you sure you want to consume that ancient coin?"
"Of course, aren't we taking out props just to use them?"
The use of this item in the duel is just a symbolic use, and it does not consume the [Gem of Time], but the gem is no longer considered a chessboard item after that, and it cannot be placed on the chessboard again during the duel.
"Finally, the item I want to place this round is this."
Jenkins took another coin from his pocket, this time a green wooden coin representing profanity:
"Profanity born of the most terrible knowledge, sin drawn from the depths of the soul, such is the meaning of this coin. It is a priceless treasure, representing the deepest secrets of this world. The role of this coin, and The same one that will be used this round."
With a bang, he pressed the coin on the table, and stopped the cat trying to pull the coin again.
"You don't carry a handful of this exotic currency with you, do you?"
Salhi II asked.
"Of course not, I only brought four of them."
Jenkins is telling the truth, but it looks like even the princesses at the table don't trust him.
The situation in Ruen changed rapidly. Less than ten minutes after the start of this round, Salote received definite information that a heavily armed army was marching towards the city from near the snow mountain. But fortunately, in the last round, another Stuart from the Salot camp discovered the traces of the northern garrison in advance, so although it is a bit hasty to arrange the defense now, at least it is not too late.
Of course, no one knows the purpose of this army yet, and Salot doesn't want to fight against his own people in his own capital for no reason. So he had already sent an envoy to inquire about the purpose of the army, but he hadn't received a reply for a while.
On the other side, Dolores arranged for a search in the palace, but they did not find anything left by Sarkhi II, so she did what Jenkins thought, and directly "bribed" Luo with the first crime coin symbol. The Duke of De Bayer, the Duke also handed over the thing he was entrusted to keep—the heirloom ring of the Stuart family, which symbolized the identity of the family leader.
At the moment when Dolores got the ring from Duke Rodbyer, who was kneeling on one knee, King Salhi II at Nolan's table addressed all Sis in Loen City with the tone of reading official documents. Tuart said:
"In 1866 in the general calendar, at the end of the eighteenth era, the Stuart family will decide the candidate for the next king through a sacred duel. In the duel between Stuart and Middleton, the victory condition is that the city of Loen It is completely controlled by a certain party. It is very difficult to completely control the city through normal means throughout the night, so when a certain party gathers three items that symbolize national power, it will automatically win."
"I knew it."
Jenkins, who was sitting opposite Salhi II, smiled and said:
"You have no intention of letting your children fight for the throne in Loen at all."
"Why should I let them die, Viscount?"
After the old king finished speaking the rules, his spirit became as bad as it was at the beginning of the game. The eldest princess walked behind her father and beat his back for him. Sarhi II did not speak to her, but continued to say to Jenkins:
"This time I just want them to show themselves as much as possible, instead of letting them kill to the last person. Although I am strict with myself and a little unreasonable to the country and subjects, at least I still care about my family. Yes. Remember..."
This sentence was replaced by saying to his daughters:
"Even if the kingdom should be indifferent, never turn yourself into a person like an ice cube. Try to love life, love your own life, and don't let your life be trapped by power."
The Stuarts in Loen also heard the new rules announced by Salhi II. Because Dolores had direct contact with the ring, she had some guesses about other symbols of power in her heart, and she did something about it. A new arrangement has been made.
As for Sallot Stuart and his younger brothers and sisters, they probably guessed that it was Dolores who made new progress, and the current defense of the city obviously has nothing to do with obtaining the symbol of kingdom power.
"We cannot fight this battle."
This is what Salote said in person on the chessboard screen. Compared with just now, he now does not want to waste manpower on such meaningless things.
So he reduced the current defensive manpower near the old city wall, and urgently mobilized about one-third of the army to the urban area to surround the low hills where the royal palaces were located.
On the other hand, because Dolores mobilized almost all of the army and manpower into the palace, it was equivalent to ceding the entire city of Loen to Salot, so Salot could easily search for those related to the royal family. to find possible artifacts leading to the throne.
"Your eldest son is on the wrong track."
Jenkins next to the chessboard shook his head slightly, tapping the chessboard with his fingers:
"I bet that there is at least one symbol of power you mentioned in the army outside the city. If he can actively defend himself and show his strength and ability as the heir of this country, that item is definitely his. Now he Now that he has a clear idea of letting the legion enter the city, then he will definitely not get that thing."
"But my brother still has a bribe coin in his hand."
A princess at the table reminded.
"Yes, but if you want to bribe with coins, you should at least see the person who was bribed. There is a high probability that Salot will not see it now. I think you will definitely arrange in advance for those people who hold important artifacts to appear at the last Appropriate occasion."
The second half of the sentence was addressed to Sarkhi II, and the king nodded slightly when he heard the words:
"It would be great if you were my son."
This sentence is suspected of being a curse, but it also coincides with the famous sayings that visitors from other lands have heard before. Therefore, although he felt uncomfortable, Jenkins did not question the words of "father-in-law".
Seeing that Jenkins was silent, Salhi II said again:
"Yes, every symbol of power that symbolizes the glory of the Hampawo Kingdom is guarded by corresponding people. Rodbyer was found by Dolores easily, which is indeed beyond my expectations. In this case, this game is also unfair to me, because you, Viscount William, I doubt that you knew everything in advance."
"No, I don't know anything."
Jenkins categorically denied it, and Salhi II said to the princesses at the table with emotion:
"Being able to lie without blushing like this is also an essential ability to be a king.