Skeleton King

Louis Finger went to the fair.

Aachen didn't go, and after he decided to return to the imperial capital of the Pansy Empire, he stopped practicing.It wasn't long before he broke through level nine.Louis Finger told him that he has good talent, and he has practiced quietly for decades, so it might be possible to make further progress.

There are few things in the North Sea Islands, Aachen can handle government affairs in half a day, and the rest of the time can be peacefully cultivated.

The pansy empire has a vast territory and complicated affairs.When Aachen was young, His Majesty Ludwig IV focused on nurturing Xiben, and mostly stocked him.Now, he still has a lot to learn.In his free time, even if he spends all his time practicing martial arts, he can barely waste it, let alone make further progress.

Kingship and the pinnacle of martial arts are like fish and bear's paw, they cannot have both.

Aachen has traversed most of the empire, as far as the North Sea. He has passed through countless cities and villages, and has seen all kinds of customs, but no matter how bizarre he sees, it is far from being comparable to Eternal Night City.

This is a city belonging to the undead.

Aachen was curious about everything he saw, even the rice wine on the stall.Each of the small white bowls is filled with light green liquid, with the fragrance of green rice only from Pansy Royal Palace Tegong, the wine is sweet but not greasy.He wanted to try it, but he didn't know if Eternal Night City would accept gold coins from this world.

"If I were you, I wouldn't buy this wine."

Aachen was startled by the sudden voice in his ear, and he turned his head - there was a young man with black hair and blue eyes standing beside him, with a pansy mark between his eyebrows.The young man simply stood there, the entire gloomy Eternal Night City and the noisy streets full of traffic were reduced to the background, less than one-tenth of his demeanor.

"This is the specialty of Eternal Night City—Hundred Ghost Brew, which can solidify the souls of the undead. It is neither good nor bad for humans." The young man turned his gaze back to the booth, paused for a moment, and continued: "But Only vessels made of white bones can hold Hundred Ghost Brew."

Aachen looked at the small white bowl again, only to realize that it was made of human skulls.His eyelids twitched, and he was no longer interested in this rice wine.

He naturally recognized this young man who suddenly appeared beside him.

At the wedding not long ago, he still had Angela on his arm and handed Angela to Arnold, the head of the Eternal Night Knights.

Aachen felt inexplicably familiar with him, and he blurted out, "Where have we met before?"

The young man looked away from Baigui Brew, and said in no surprise, "Go back to His Royal Highness Prince Aachen. It's in the tavern in the imperial capital."

Aachen was not surprised to be called to reveal his identity.The other party can quietly appear beside him, and his strength is at least a big realm higher than his. No matter whether the other party is a lich or a holy rank, it is not difficult to collect information on the main members of the pansy royal family, not to mention the mark between the eyebrows of the young man...

But he has never been back to the imperial capital in recent years, and the last time he went to the tavern was with Louis Finger.Aachen was about to recall his memory to a more distant past, when suddenly, he was so blessed that he said in disbelief, "Your body is an astrology doll?"

"Yes. No." The young man said calmly, "I forgot to introduce you to Your Highness. I am Ace Neumann, and I am from the Neumann family in the province of Westphalia."

Aachen finally understood who it was.

The name Ace Neumann has been mentioned many times in Queen Celia's diary, and he was dubious about Queen Celia's conjectures. Until now, he saw the pansy imprint between the young man's eyebrows, There is no better proof than this - Ace Neumann is the son of Lady Red Rose and his father the King.

Aachen looked complicated, and asked: "So, you were supposed to be my second brother?"

Mrs. Red Rose met His Majesty Ludwig IV first, and Ace was also a few months older than him.If Ace grew up in the palace, the ranking would indeed be ahead of him.

In fact, after Ace broke through the holy rank, he could remove the pansy mark between his eyebrows, but the blood on his body would not change, and he still used the pansy grudge, so he no longer tried to hide it.This is his origin, he does not need to deny it.

"No. I'm not a prince." Ace smiled slyly.

His acknowledgment of his origin does not mean that he recognizes his royal status.

Aachen said: "You haven't been back to the Pansy Palace yet, have you? If you want, I can take you there. Father should also want to meet you."

"No." Ace shook his head.

In fact, Aachen didn't know that His Majesty Ludwig IV had met Ace long ago, but they were just two strangers who had no father-son relationship at all.His Majesty Ludwig IV has always loved Mrs. Caroline, he just loved her purely, and he didn't love Ace too much.Of course Ace doesn't care, and he doesn't want to have more than one father for nothing.

Half-brother, and his biological father still has such a large family property, the relationship between Ace and Aachen should have been tense.But it may be because Ace never thought of going back to the Keosi family. Aachen did not see the queen's jealousy and anger towards Lady Red Rose and Ace from Queen Celia's diary. , Aachen is even more bearish on blood relationship.Furthermore, Mrs. Caroline and Queen Celia have both passed away, and they don't want to continue the grievances of the previous generation.

At this time, under the tacit understanding between the two sides, the atmosphere between them is rare and friendly.

Ace asked, "How did you come to Evernight City?"

There are still very few humans below the holy rank in Eternal Night City.

"I'm going to the Finger Empire, passing through the Prin Mountains, and I've heard too many incredible things about the Twin Cities, so I want to come here to have a look." After Aachen was officially established as the crown prince, he couldn't leave the imperial capital of the Pansy Empire easily. .

This may also be his last chance to travel around.

There is still a question that has been lingering in Aachen's heart. He still didn't hold back, and asked: "The last time in the imperial capital, what did you mean by those words? Why is the way to avoid the curse of the pansy family is to ask me to leave the imperial capital?" ?”

The answer seemed obvious after he knew Ace's identity.Ace has awakened the pansy imprint, and it is also possible to inherit the throne.If Aachen returns to Beihai and Fenfur does not return to the imperial capital in the northwest, then the appointment of Ace as crown prince can also be put on the agenda.

Aachen does not like the treacherous political situation.

But since he took the position of crown prince, he will not let anyone pull him down.

He was confident that he was the most suitable heir to the empire. His Majesty Ludwig IV asked him to return to the imperial capital, not only because he was the son of his father, but also because his talents were recognized by his father and ministers.He offered to let Ace go back to meet His Majesty Ludwig IV because he was not afraid of competition, and he could not have his current status simply because of his father's preference.

He didn't know what Ace was thinking, but he had an intuition that Ace wanted to compete with him for the throne, and he wouldn't deliberately deceive him about it.He felt that the other party was not a despicable person.

It's strange, even though Xiben is his brother, and they grew up together in the Pansy Palace, the former can't give him such confidence, but he only met Ace twice, but he felt that Ace was with him in a certain place compared to Xiben. Some places are more similar.

"This is the only advice I can give you as a brother." Ace laughed.His smile was unusually magnanimous, as if this matter had something to do with his facial features, and he didn't notice the suspicion in Aachen's heart at all.

Aachen could feel his sincerity, but he still didn't ask again.Because they all knew that Aachen would choose to return to the imperial capital in the end, not just for himself.He put back the prince's crown again, he was the one who was loyal to him, and it was the current situation that pushed him back to this position.

No matter what the reason for Ace's advice, it is impossible for him to leave the imperial capital.

So Ace doesn't need to say more.

So he won't ask again.

But before Aachen left the imperial capital of the Pansy Empire, his wedding date had already been fixed.

Christian Colvin also told him that Dorothy didn't get close to any young master, and she didn't even go to banquets often. She seemed to stay quietly in the study, read books, play cards, embroider, and draw with the maids. Painting made her feel very satisfied.Aachen has prepared for the worst, and Dorothy will never fall in love with him, and they will spend the rest of their lives respecting each other as guests.

He will make Dorothy the queen, the most honorable woman in the empire, and he will love and protect her for the rest of his life.He felt it was okay.

But thinking of his father's rose grove in Pansy Palace, thinking of his aunt Princess Mary who sings every night but is never happy, thinking of his brother Xiben who died at the hands of his new wife after failing, and his youngest sister who is pure and beautiful Fenfur, he was afraid that fate would not even give him such favor.

He couldn't help asking: "What about you? Have you met the destined person? Have you never worried about this curse? For thousands of years, no one in the Pansy family has been able to escape, even if they got it for a short time. Love is just a bad joke played by fate."

Ace's eyes looking at him were as cold as water, the coldness flashed by, but quickly melted like ice and snow, turning into a warm sun.

"Of course I met. When we met last time in the imperial capital, didn't you already see it?"

As for the relationship between Nuoou and him, there is no need for him to talk to this cheap brother.Just like when Ace appeared, he disappeared from Aachen again like an imperceptible wind.

The next moment, Aachen felt a sharp pain in his heart.

He unbuttoned his coat and saw a brightly colored pansy logo emerging on his chest.

"Are you okay?" The undead floating beside the rice wine booth rarely asked Aachen actively.

Aachen replied: "Thank you for your concern. Nothing happened."

When he was young, neither Fenfur nor he succeeded in awakening the pansy mark because he had an older brother living outside.Later, he successfully awakened Pansy's fighting spirit, so he no longer attached to it.He didn't expect that Ace would help him complete the awakening of the pansy imprint.

"No need to thank you. I just asked a few more questions because you know the owner of the city." The conversation between Ace and Aachen just now, because Ace muted the surroundings, the owner of the rice wine stall did not hear it, but Ace did not hide his figure. , he still saw the Skeleton King.

Aachen felt very surprised, "The lord of the city? The lord of which city?"

The undead replied naturally: "Naturally, he is the lord of Eternal Night City. The eternal king of the dead world."

……

The dawn sun shines through the water mist of the fountain, shining a rainbow in midair.

Christian and Antonio were already waiting for them in front of the fountain. "Your Highness, where did you go before?" Christian showed concern, and they lost contact with Prince Aachen and Louis Finger for a while.

"I went to the other side of the city that never sleeps." Aachen said.

Returning to Aachen, the city that never sleeps, seems like a lifetime away.Very rarely, even Christian and Antonio, who were as close to him as brothers, he didn't want to tell them about meeting Ace Neumann in the city that never sleeps.

At this moment, a strange voice came from above their heads, interrupting their conversation.

They looked towards the sky almost at the same time, a small black dot appeared in the sky, gradually getting bigger, its shape became more and more clear before their eyes, slender neck, strong body, huge wings...

"It's a dragon." Antonio's voice was full of disbelief.

Not long ago, Sykes, the former head of the Royal Knights of the Pansy Empire, and his companions were named dragon knights.They came out of the magic island, rode a dragon across the ocean, flew across the continent, and hunted down all the prisoners who escaped from the magic island.They appeared on both sides of the Prin Mountains like a god descending, and this experience has been spread throughout the empire through the songs of bards.

Aachen naturally knew that Dragon Island had been unsealed, but he did not expect that he would see a giant dragon in the city that never sleeps, and this dark green dragon was obviously not the golden dragon in the bard's ballad, or Sykes's. silver dragon.

The green dragon circled a few times over the city that never sleeps, as if looking for something, then it swooped down directly towards a high tower.

Aachen grasped the sword subconsciously, thinking it was the green dragon's attack on the city that never sleeps, but before he figured out why the holy ranks and liches in the city that never slept were indifferent to the appearance of the green dragon, he saw the green dragon charge directly Entering the high tower is like a stone falling into the lake, the halo on the high tower only has some ripples, and let it go in without hindrance.

This is just the beginning.

Two streamers in the sky, one red and one silver, after they arrived in the city that never sleeps, they hovered for a while like the green dragon before, and then rushed into different towers.

Aachen seemed to realize something, and a hint of shock flashed in his eyes.

Dragons enter the tower just like wizards enter their magic tower.

Antonio swallowed, they passed many towers last night, and even where they were standing now, they could see four ten-story towers.

Aren't these tall towers what they think, just ordinary buildings, are they all magic towers?God, there are at least hundreds of ten-story magic towers in the city that never sleeps!

As we all know, only mages can build a ten-story magic tower, so does this mean that there are at least a hundred mages in the city that never sleeps? !

Aachen thought of the person he saw last night——Ace Neumann, he is the king of skeletons, and naturally he is also the lord of the Twin Cities.

Everything here belongs to him too.

After being shocked so many times, Aachen was a little numb. His voice was calm, at least that's how other people sounded, "Father told me that Dragon Island and Magic Island have been lifted. There are probably many wizards Came here after regaining freedom."

Christian added: "There is a record in the library of the city that never sleeps that the Dragon King and the city owner of the city that never sleeps are close friends. Both Dragon Island and the city that never sleeps have teleportation magic circles, but they are not open to outsiders. Every adult dragon is skilled in both magic and martial arts. If they are willing to become the guardian beasts of the city that never sleeps, the city that never sleeps will build a ten-story magic tower for them free of charge and give them other treasures."

"The whole body of each magic tower is made of space stones. The size inside may be hundreds of times that seen from the outside, and it may even connect to another plane. So they keep their prototypes and can also enter directly." Christian's eyes also gave birth to Yearning, he continued: "If someone in the city that never sleeps can get their approval, they can even become their dragon knight."

"Really?" Antonio gasped and said pleasantly, "Your Highness, can we not go to the Finger Empire so soon? You know, my biggest dream is to become a dragon knight! Before the dragon disappeared from the mainland, I thought It is impossible for me to realize this dream, I never thought that I could wait until Dragon Island is unsealed in my lifetime..."

Aachen directly pulled his collar and dragged him away, "Even if the dragons plan to find their partners here, they will not look at humans who are weaker than them. If you really want to, wait for a breakthrough Come back, Juggernaut."

Amidst Antonio's unwilling yelling, Aachen finally took a look at the city that never sleeps, and deeply imprinted this incomparable city in his mind.Then, he took his companions and left without looking back.

……

After leaving the Prin Mountains, Aachen and the others quickly joined the mission of the Pansy Empire.

The rest of the journey went very smoothly, including the negotiation with the new king after arriving at the imperial capital of the Finger Empire.

After the protracted war with the small plane, the vitality of the two empires was severely damaged, and both parties in this negotiation showed great sincerity.

On the night before they left the imperial capital of the Finger Empire in Aachen, Phil Finger also held a grand dinner for them.

Even if Aachen is ready, Princess Eugenia of the Finger Empire is a very difficult opponent, and the negotiation situation is likely to be unfavorable to them, but it just so happens that Princess Muse is not in good health recently, and Eugenia The princess had to take care of her, and she didn't even show her face to the mission of the Pansy Empire.

Of course, this also shows that Phil Finger has really secured the throne of the Finger Empire.

Regarding the origin of Phil Finger - he is the son carefully cultivated by the old king outside - such a statement can only fool the common people of the Finger Empire, and at most the minor nobles.After he officially ascended the throne, his king has been stripped clean by intelligence agents of the Pansy Empire.

It turned out that his mother was a branch of the Black family, and later took him to marry the president of the Caesar Chamber of Commerce in the Pansy Empire. He lived under the name of Carl Caesar for the first 20 years of his life.

It's an incredible thing.

The current king of the Finger Empire turned out to have grown up in the Pansy Empire.

He can still successfully hide the truth and secure the throne.Maybe there was help from Princess Muse at the beginning, but judging from this Aachen mission to the Finger Empire, Princess Muse and her friend, Princess Eugenia, have been marginalized by the center of power.

In the name of Phil Finger, Carl Caesar has completely controlled the royal power of the Finger family.

Now, even Princess Muse overturns the previous statement, saying that he is not the heir designated by the old king at all, and no one will stand by her side.

When Karl sits in this position for more than ten years, the influence on the nobles and the people will be even deeper. Even if he says that he does not have the blood of the Finger family, they will definitely support him.

Of course, he also has a more convenient method, to find a noble daughter of a big family in the country to marry.With the support of his in-laws, he will gather the power of the entire empire more quickly.Such an obvious choice, Karl Kaiser could not have thought of it, but he did not do it.

It's really hard to read his mind.

Thinking of facing such an opponent in the next few decades, Aachen felt vigilant, but at the same time felt excited, as if he was meeting his opponent.

Karl Kaiser seemed to have a feeling in his heart, and he also looked at Aachen. He picked up the wine glass and sent a message to Aachen, "For the peace of the two empires!"

Aachen responded to him, "For the peace of the two empires!"

Carl Caesar sat in the first seat, and Aachen was a little lower on his right hand. He was still only the prince of the Pansy Empire, and it was impossible to sit on an equal footing with the king of the Finger Empire.

His eyes fell on Karl Kaiser.Karl was handsome, but his face was sickly pale. After drinking, his cheeks turned red again, only his eyes were as bright as obsidian.

Aachen remembered the rumors of the Finger family—Finger, who rose from the market, would gain the supreme power in the east of the mainland and possess all the wealth in this world, but no amount of money could stop their bodies from decaying. Every day they wake up, they will feel the pain of heartbreak and soul shattering. Day and night, they appear in the world and die in the world, like a shadow...

Is it like the Pansy family cannot escape the curse, so can the Finger family?Aachen thought for a while, then shook his head to himself. Karl Caesar just looked a little thin, but maybe this is the popularity of the Finger Empire?If he was really in such pain, how could he sit at the head so calmly?

Even if the Finger family really had such a curse, it might not always work.

Like him, wasn't he also engaged to Dorothy.

As everyone knows, what Karl thought of at this time was a meeting a few days ago, and that meeting was also related to the curse of the Finger family.

Ace arrived at the palace of the Finger Empire earlier than the mission of the Pansy Empire. He and Karl talked about the small plane in detail, as well as the aftermath work that needs to be done by the two empires, Magic Island, and Dragon Island.

And about the curse on him.

Ace told him, "I got the inheritance of an astrologer, and I can already deceive the astrology to a certain extent. As long as you leave the Finger Empire, don't use the name Phil Finger again, and don't have anything to do with everything here. I It can help you regain your health and escape from this endless pain."

There was no one else in the hall, only Ace and him, and only at this time, Karl would lie on his side on the couch, rubbing his heart with his hands, trying to make himself feel better.

Carl rejected him mercilessly, "Ace, thank you for your kindness, but it is my own choice to stay here."

He was suffering the same pain as Princess Muse, but Princess Muse was so lingeringly sick that she couldn't get out of bed in pain, yet he could sit here.

"You see, I am now the king of the Finger Empire. The area of ​​the empire extends from the Prinshan Mountains to the end of the East China Sea. I stand on the wall of the imperial capital, and countless subjects bow down to me; the point of my sword is countless The knights who fought for me. And followed you away, and lived on your breath...My friend, I certainly believe that you will not be too bad to me, but..."

Living in such pain is better than a life of mediocrity.

"Even if I can get eternal life, I won't be happy with such mediocrity."

Ace is helpless, Karl is one of his few friends, but everyone has their own choice, and he can't persuade him anymore.

"Okay. If you have an heir in the future, I hope he will not repeat this fate. You can let him come to me." Ace said.

"Children?" Carl chuckled, "I probably won't have any heirs. No woman can bring me happiness. Even bed matters are just torture."

Princess Muses will have no heirs.

Neither will he.

"The blood of the Finger family belongs to our generation."

Don't let this fate continue.

……

Pansy Empire celebrates.

At the same time that the Prince of Aachen was established as the crown prince, he also had to marry the youngest daughter of Prime Minister Kervin and the younger sister of his best friend Christian Kerwin. This marriage was promising in all aspects.

Although the Colvin family is a new nobleman, Prime Minister Colvin is shrewd and powerful, and he is one of the few people in the power center of the empire.By marrying the prince of Aachen, the Colvin family can immediately take off the hat of nouveau riche, and the married family as a royal family becomes more noble.The advantages to Prince Aachen far outweigh the disadvantages, which means that the Kelvin family is firmly tied to his chariot, and His Majesty Ludwig IV will not move him easily in the future.

Among the people, His Majesty Ludwig IV has been building momentum for him for a long time.The prince of Aachen is a man of great talent and strategy, who expanded the territory of the empire and returned the North Sea Islands to the territory of the empire. This is already known to all.

Miss Dorothy Colvin is a famous white rose in the imperial capital. She has an elegant and beautiful face and a virtuous character. Every winter, she distributes free bread and hot soup outside the imperial capital.She has an excellent reputation, which can well make up for the strangeness that the prince of Aachen has brought to the people for many years away from the imperial capital.

On the day of the wedding, Aachen completely forgot his reserve as a crown prince. He laughed at everyone and drank wine whenever he saw him. Antonio laughed at him, "Like a fool."

And when he stood at the gate of his palace, he realized that he was really a fool.

No matter how much wine he drank, as a ninth-level swordsman, he could clearly see the two people hugging behind the curtain through the curtain made of tulle.

He could still hear Dorothy sobbing, "Nora, why didn't you tell me sooner, we've known each other for so many years, and you could have told me a few months earlier..."

"Actually, I have fallen in love with you since I was very young, from the first time I saw you. I don't like practicing swords at all. The reason why I work so hard is because I can only become an excellent knight, Cole Prime Minister Wen will allow me to stay by your side..."

Nora was born as a commoner and showed outstanding martial arts talent from a very young age. Prime Minister Colvin spent a lot of money to train her and let her stay in the Colvin family as a maid and be Dorothy's playmate.After she passed the assessment of the knight order, she also became the female knight who guarded Dorothy.

Aachen had heard of Nora a long time ago.Nora is not only outstanding in strength among her peers, but also in appearance. A little nobleman proposed to her before, but she refused on the grounds that she wanted to protect Miss Dorothy Colvin.

At that time, there was a friend in Aachen who said to him: "This woman is very ambitious. Do you believe that she really wants to be Miss Colvin's maid? She must have looked down on that coward and insisted on finding someone Nobles with titles to inherit.”

For such gossip news, if it hadn't been related to Dorothy, it would not have left an impression in Aachen's memory.Even so, he just laughed it off.

Aachen sneered.

None of them thought that Nora's ambition would be so great that she would fall in love with his princess.

And his princess probably also...

Dorothy shook her head at her, "Why do you think you are wishful thinking. I have not married for so many years, and I told my father that I would be an old girl for the rest of my life. I thought you understood. Why did you tell me."

"It was my fault. I didn't know you also..."

"Kacha——" Aachen pushed open the door and walked into the palace.

He saw and heard the noise, Nora hurried away, and saw Dorothy hastily wipe the tears from her face.

He told himself that he could pretend nothing had happened.

He could find an excuse to transfer Nora away from the palace.

He believes that with Dorothy's character and the importance she attaches to the family, she will not disobey him, and will do her best to be a wife, and in the near future, she will also be a good mother.

"Dorothy." He walked up to him and called her name softly.

She is still so beautiful, with flawless makeup, only her eyes still contain tears, like white roses with dew in the morning, just waiting to be picked.

Thousands of thoughts flashed through Aachen's mind.

"I want to say sorry to you."

He wanted to tell her that he also liked her from a very young age.

"Actually, there is something I haven't told you, but today, I should tell you anyway."

When he went to Beihai, he never forgot him.He is not young, and Christian and Antonio have suggested him to get married, but he has always had only one wife in his heart.

"When I was in Beihai, I met a girl. She was very beautiful and innocent. We fell in love and got married. It was just a tsunami that took her away from me. I swear she will be the most important thing in my life. only wife."

It becomes easier and easier to speak out.

"But the father will not agree, and the ministers will not agree. I despicably want to find someone to use as a shield. Dorothy, I want you to be my wife in name, to help me manage the palace, as a queen Stand by my side, but that's all there is to it."

Dorothy rose gracefully.

Everyone believed that she would make a very good queen.

She digested Aachen's words with an incredible speed, maybe this is what she dreamed of.Her whole body was relaxed. She pulled her gorgeous skirt and bowed to Aachen. She had never looked radiant and graceful like this moment. "It is my honor to serve Your Highness. Please don't blame yourself, Your Highness."

Aachen's heart finally fell.

He nodded politely at her, turned around, and left without losing his grace.

(Finish)