Chapter 716: Black Eyes

"It seems you have entertained yourself quite well."

With complicated feelings, Thales came to sit opposite Zayen and pulled out an expensive armchair.

"Likewise," the South Coast Duke said without looking at him, opening the pot of wine from the Duchy of Sera on the tea table by himself. "Careful, Your Highness. That chair is not very comfortable to sit in."

Thales' movement paused.

He patted the armchair, his face cooling, and sat down without hesitation.

"Such an expensive chair, yet it is uncomfortable?"

"Precisely because of that." Zayen poured two glasses of wine and watched him sit in the chair, his gaze meaningful. "Precious things are often not comfortable to use."

"If that is so," Thales stroked the smooth, warm armrests, feeling the quality of the leather, and clicked his tongue, "I do not see you throwing it away."

Zayen picked up a glass of wine and raised it toward Thales.

"As you said."

The duke chuckled softly, pushed the other glass of wine before Thales, and gestured with his hand, his tone deep:

"It is precious."

Thales did not answer at once. He stared at the other party for a long time.

"Then we really must be careful." Thales leaned toward the tea table and, lightly yet beyond question, pushed the glass of wine back. "Otherwise, if I sit the chair until it breaks, it will be difficult to repair."

Zayen watched Thales reject the wine, and his gaze froze slightly.

"It is not impossible to repair," he smiled faintly, withdrew his hand, and raised his own glass without the slightest concern, taking a deep breath. "One only needs to find the right craftsman."

Thales leaned back against the chair and silently watched Zayen enjoy the mellow fragrance of the wine. He snorted softly.

"Since it is such a famous and expensive chair, no matter which craftsman repairs it, the cost will not be small, correct?"

Zayen swirled his glass, took a light sip, and clicked his tongue in praise.

"Still cheaper than the chair itself."

"Then would you rather spend money repairing it, or would you rather it remain intact as before?"

Zayen's gaze focused.

"That depends on where the chair is placed," the Duke of Iris Flower said faintly. "Whether it is displayed in the hall for others to see, or placed in the bedroom for oneself to sit."

Thales fell silent, and Zayen did not speak either. In this way, the two quietly faced each other in the bedroom.

After a long while, Zayen put down his wineglass and spoke first.

"So, the current regent of Jade City has come to find this prisoner, yet refuses to honor me by drinking my wine." He stared at Thales' face, his meaning pointed. "Has your rule been somewhat unsmooth?"

Thales scoffed softly.

"As a prisoner, unable to take a single step outside, how do you know my 'rule has been unsmooth'?"

Zayen smiled and turned toward the balcony.

"Please. Such a large column of smoke and fire rose from the Glory District. Even the mouse hiding in the deepest corner of Emerald Palace could smell it."

Thales frowned.

Zayen closed his eyes, his expression one of enjoyment, as if still savoring the aroma of the wine.

"You know, Star Lake Fort also had a mouse problem for a while," Thales said, staring at the wine pot on the table. "Until I cleaned out all the mice. Not one left."

After saying this, he glared fixedly at Zayen.

Zayen was silent for a moment.

"Not one left?"

The Duke of Iris Flower nodded.

"Then you must have used quite a few rat-catching cats. Quite a few."

"Indeed, quite a few," Thales refused to show weakness. "But I later discovered that there was actually only one cat that was truly useful."

Zayen sneered.

"Oh? Which one?"

Thales and Zayen stared at each other for a while.

In the next instant, Thales suddenly put on a smile.

"You misunderstood just now, my lord duke."

Thales leaned forward and picked up the glass of wine that had originally belonged to him.

This time, it was Zayen's turn to frown lightly.

"Jade City's rule is proceeding smoothly. There are no waves or ripples. The citizens live and work in peace, and the officials and soldiers faithfully carry out their duties." Thales casually swirled the glass and toasted Zayen with it. "An accidental fire on Luhsan Street does not require me to worry at all. The officials at every level handled it themselves."

Zayen's gaze focused.

"I thought as much." He leaned back and instantly became cold, his attitude rejecting others by a thousand miles. "Otherwise, you would already be so busy that you could not free your hands. How would you have the leisure to come find me for wine and talk of chairs and mice?"

"Was your father in pain?" Thales' smile remained, but he suddenly changed the subject without warning. "When he died?"

Zayen's expression moved.

Thales, however, continued calmly:

"Especially when he learned that he had been betrayed, that the murderer who killed him was a blood relative he trusted more than anyone?"

Zayen stared expressionlessly at Thales' wineglass. But just when Thales thought his expression would finally change, Zayen raised his head without altering his face.

"Pardon?"

Thales looked at him and snorted lightly.

"I said Jade City is at peace, perhaps even too peaceful. Precisely because of that, I have nothing to do all day. Thus I have leisure to busy myself with this: arbitrating the dispute between you and Federico, and for the late old Duke Lenster and Viscount Sonar, investigating the truth and restoring justice."

His Highness the Prince deliberately stressed the last few words and narrowed his eyes.

"What? Is there some problem?"

For several seconds, Zayen remained motionless, like a statue.

Until he exhaled and poured himself more wine.

"You said just now that the only rat-catching cat of use was this one?"

Zayen's movement as he poured was steady as usual, without the slightest impropriety.

"That seems a little too monotonous and lacking in novelty."

"Yet when mice are driven into a corner with no road left," Thales shook the wineglass, his gaze never leaving Zayen's face, "this trick is exactly what works."

Zayen put the wine pot down heavily.

"But are you certain that the only things to clean out are mice?"

The duke lifted his wineglass and carefully observed its color under the lamplight.

"If a fiercer beast is hidden in the castle, one rat-catching cat is far from enough."

On Zayen's glass, Thales' face was refracted through the wine, looking scarlet and distorted.

"In fact, that cat of mine claws without mercy and is extremely fierce," Thales also raised his glass toward him. "More than enough."

Zayen's expression cooled.

He lowered his gaze to Thales' glass.

"The wine is almost spilling from all your shaking. Are you truly not going to drink even one mouthful?"

"The cup is in my hand," Thales said coldly, continuing to shake the wineglass. "I will drink whenever I want to."

Zayen fell silent.

A few seconds later, he carried his glass and slowly walked to the window.

"Of course. Then drink whenever you want," Zayen looked out the window, his attitude as cold as frost. "But the wine has already been opened. Who knows how long it can still be kept?"

Before his eyes, the myriad lights of Jade City shone like stars, bright as a river of galaxies.

The two were silent for a while, each thinking his own thoughts.

"I should have thought of it long ago," Thales suddenly said after a long while.

"Thought of what?"

"You recommended that I take the stage as regent, yet strongly opposed Hilley participating in rule. It was not merely because you cherish your sister," Thales narrowed his eyes. "It was even more because you are still inside the game. The empty seat of city lord is merely another one of your chess pieces, and its target is to devour anyone who sits on it."

Zayen did not turn his head.

"Blaming the deficiencies and unsmoothness of rule on a prisoner does not match Your Highness' usual image."

Thales snorted coldly.

"That letter."

"What letter?"

Thales raised his gaze.

"Not long ago, the Petition for Service Commutation you sent to my father. You wrote about paying taxes in place of military service and reducing troop numbers. On the surface, it seemed obedient and compliant, giving whatever was asked, but in truth, mysteries were hidden within it and traps were spread everywhere."

"You said in the arena," Zayen said coldly, "that the letter had been torn up by you."

"Yes. But you, who would rather 'because of friends than dead by enemies,' even dared to outwardly obey and inwardly defy the supreme Iron-Fisted King in a peace-seeking letter, leaving plenty of room for yourself. Then when you faced me and were forced to step down from the seat of city lord and hand over Jade City and the South Coast Territory," Thales' interrogation was stern and contemptuous, "how could you possibly not hide a fallback, not set traps, not leave the successor with a seat full of thorns?"

The room was quiet for a long while. For a time, only the breathing of the two could be heard.

"Then have you ever thought," Zayen looked at the night scenery of the city that had once belonged to him, his gaze sharp and deep, "perhaps to sit firmly in that chair, one is supposed to cut through thorns in the first place?"

"Supposed to?"

Thales said disdainfully, putting down the wineglass heavily.

"My people spent an entire day, speaking politely and persuading quite a few financial officials to work overtime, before they roughly clarified Jade City's accounts, especially that pile of debt."

"Congratulations," Zayen said, not without sarcasm.

Thales leaned against the back of the chair and folded his arms.

"In fact, enormous public debt is not a bad thing for Jade City. It is a common meal over many years, and even more, a means of drawing on future development and governance."

"I truly wish every financial officer under me had Your Highness' vision," Zayen said, still sounding sarcastic.

But Thales' gaze moved.

"But the strange thing is, Jade City began sorting and restructuring its debts seven or eight years ago. Some were rescheduled, some split apart, some merged, some amended, and some even had large additional borrowings attached. In the end, all kinds of debts were concentrated into three batches. The first batch alone includes over a million in preliminary debt, which must be repaid within two years starting now."

The prince said coldly:

"The repayment period for the second batch is around ten years. The third batch is around fifteen years."

Zayen said nothing, but he finally shifted his focus away from the window and slowly turned to face Thales.

"As you said before, you long ago anticipated that Renaissance Palace would move against Iris Flower, but you did not know when they would come or in what manner. So you simply prepared for war early and planned ahead."

Thales continued calmly:

"The three batches of huge debt are actually a triple layer of insurance you left for yourself using Jade City's finances. For these fifteen years, perhaps even longer, no matter who overthrows your rule by what method and seizes Jade City, they will have to face a vicious debt trap..."

"It is merely a money problem," Zayen interrupted him, turning the wine in his hand into a scarlet whirlpool. "The Jadestar royal family is wealthy enough to rival the world. You will certainly have a way to solve it, correct?"

Thales frowned.

"A money problem?" The prince snorted coldly. "Jade City's change of master is already political turbulence. Merchants accustomed to Jade City's trade order have begun panic selling, causing unstable prices and chaotic market conditions..."

And that was on top of all sorts of rumors, such as "the prince wants to squeeze Jade City dry," "the prince wants to raise taxes to gather money," or "the prince wants to clean house."

He thought with no small worry.

"And when I begin robbing Peter to pay Paul, finding ways to open sources and cut expenses to repay debt, still more trouble comes," Thales said coldly. "Once ideas like cutting expenditures and moving budgets arise, the work efficiency of officials at every level visibly declines. Knight Cecil, regardless of whether he received your instructions, even silently threatened me with the legion going on strike. The accident on Luhsan Street, let us temporarily treat it as an accident, was caused jointly by these reasons, the low efficiency of the security officers, and the turbulence from the Blood Bottle Gang's chaos."

Zayen listened quietly, staring at him with an unnerving gaze, without any smile of schadenfreude.

"Then comes panic. People lose trust in Jade City's future. Those with some family assets flee one after another. Public security cases on the market appear without end." Thales stared tightly at the other party. "If nothing is done, the once splendid and prosperous Jade City may begin to decline."

Zayen had no further expression. He merely took a deep breath and slowly raised his glass.

"Wine?"

Thales frowned deeply, but he ignored the other party and continued:

"I originally planned to summon the powerful vassals and great merchants of the South Coast Territory, even foreign merchant groups and wealthy sponsors, and use both threats and incentives to make them lend money and help Jade City fill the shortfall and temporarily relieve its difficulties..."

Zayen snorted, his meaning unclear.

"But before that, I received the ledger sent by Butler Ashford. It recorded the state of the Covendier family's private property."

Zayen's gaze moved.

"As expected, you set your sights on Covendier."

Thales sighed.

"My people have only just roughly figured it out. The Iris Flower family is indeed rich enough to rival a kingdom. In the line of leaching crystal prospecting and extraction alone, your asset valuation reaches a full million. And those are living assets, cash trees that continuously produce wealth. That does not even include smelting and trade." The prince was gloomy. "Even squeezing out half would be enough for Jade City to get through the current difficulty temporarily."

Zayen did not answer, only looked at him meaningfully.

"Yet the problem lies here."

Thales left the back of the chair and stared fixedly at the other party.

"I went through the ledgers and searched all of Emerald Palace, only to discover that the cash the Covendier family can free up is shockingly little. Altogether, it does not even reach fifty thousand."

Zayen curled the corners of his mouth.

"Because as early as seven or eight years ago, you began operating and invested the vast majority of the family's cash into major industries. For example, you hold twenty percent of the shares in the Jade City Cotton and Wool Chamber of Commerce. Many leaching crystal mines in the north are jointly invested by Covendier and the Lassia family. Half the merchant groups in Gonghai City's eternal oil industry have signed cooperative contracts with Iris Flower. And these are merely the ones that can be found. There are probably many merchants like Dagory Moss, everyone a white glove for your assets, spread across every industry and every aspect of Jade City, the South Coast Territory, and even the Kingdom of Stars."

The more Thales spoke, the more solemn he became, until he was gnashing his teeth.

"So, if I want to use Covendier's money, the first thing I must do is transfer and sell off assets from over a dozen wealthy industries across the South Coast Territory. And once I do that, for example, sell at a low price the assets you left in the textile industry, the dozen or so workshops spread across the South Coast, the dozens of warehouses of raw materials, the hundreds of shops, the thousands of looms..."

"Removing firewood from beneath the cauldron, cutting off the root and blocking the source," Zayen took over his words, appearing relaxed and at ease. "An already unstable industry order and economic market will only become more panicked, more chaotic, and more turbulent in the short term. It would also confirm the rumor that 'the prince wants to squeeze Jade City dry.'"

Thales took a deep breath and suppressed his emotions.

Where did he learn all this from?

Forget it. It was no longer important.

"Worse still," Thales continued with difficulty, "if I get through the difficulty by selling your family's assets cheaply and thereby cause economic turbulence and an industry crisis, then the countless large merchant groups, great financiers, noble forces, and vassal families that collude and cooperate with you, occupying the upstream and downstream of these industries, such as the Karabeyan family, which jointly invested with you in the textile industry, these giants spread throughout the South Coast Territory, will also have their interests damaged along with it."

Thales clenched his fist.

"So I canceled the meeting with those people and also gave up the plan to borrow money from them for relief."

Zayen silently drank a mouthful of wine.

"Why?"

"Why? Because they have long been tightly bound together with you and the Iris Flower family in economics and industry, impossible to cut apart." Thales said disdainfully, "Why should I create enemies for no reason and make myself unhappy?"

Zayen said nothing.

"In any case, after this whole round, finance, debt, taxation, commerce, public security, people's livelihood..."

Thales suppressed his anger.

"From beginning to end, no matter where I start, I will be blamed. Regardless of who benefits or loses in substance, regardless of how complicated the process within is, the final price and infamy will be borne entirely by me, the one who took power."

Thales took a deep breath and calmed down.

"But I guess that if you were the one to speak, those people would be willing to lend, correct?"

He looked at Zayen, his gaze sharp.

"Why? Just because you cooperate and operate with them, and your interests are intertwined?"

Zayen sneered.

"I think you can call it trust," the South Coast Duke shook his head. "But it is founded on systems and habits. They trust me and trust Iris Flower not merely through faith and loyalty, habit and duty, but through stance and interests, through institutions and systems."

Zayen's eyes moved.

"So much so that once they leave us, they will inevitably lose trust in this city."

Thales snorted disdainfully.

Zayen raised his voice:

"And this 'trust,' Thales, is something you cannot exchange for no matter how many times you repeat 'imperial blood' or 'kingdom revival.'"

Thales' gaze grew colder and colder.

"So not only the seat of city lord. You turned all of Jade City into a trap."

The prince said coldly:

"Anyone who seizes it by unconventional means will touch off a chain reaction through an entire set of links, and thus bear the price behind them."

Zayen was silent, and Thales did not continue either.

The two faced each other silently for a full minute.

Until scattered fireworks burst in the night sky and cast light into the room, celebrating Queen's Day feebly.

At last, Zayen walked back to the sofa and slowly sat down.

He tapped the wine pot and looked at Thales with deep meaning.

"Then, even now, you still refuse to drink my wine?"

Thales took a deep breath.

He looked at the wineglass on the tea table and thought for a long time.

Finally, the Duke of Star Lake lightly reached forward and picked up his own glass.

Zayen smiled.

Thales raised the wineglass and smelled its fragrance.

The next second, he raised his head, his gaze stern.

"The result of this arbitration, Zayen, is that you will safely extricate yourself, clean and innocent, without stain. Covendier will continue to rule. You will take back your ducal title and seat as city lord, continuing as Lord of Iris Flower."

Zayen's eyes lit up, his gaze approving.

"Very good." He picked up the wine pot. "But?"

"But Federico will be pardoned. Not only will he be innocent, but as Sonar's son, he will take back his property rights and inheritance rights, becoming the new Viscount of Gonghai City. Do not worry, an honorary viscount."

Thud.

Zayen's wine pot came down heavily.

The South Coast Duke raised his head, his gaze cold.

"Then why don't you simply say, 'I want to shove an iron nail into your ass'?"

"I have not finished."

Thales said indifferently:

"The Jade Legion will be granted the name 'Royal.' Its numbers and expenses will remain unchanged, but its maintenance costs must first be submitted to Renaissance Palace in the form of taxes, then issued in the name of the kingdom, forming a regular practice of military affairs and national defense. The officers at every level commanding the legion must be reviewed in advance by the kingdom's Military Affairs Department..."

The more Zayen listened, the uglier his expression became.

"This year and past matters will not be pursued, but starting next year, the annual tax figures for every village, manor, and town in the South Coast Territory must be recalculated. If you understand what I mean, Renaissance Palace will have full authority..."

"Do you want to drink the wine or not!"

Zayen suddenly spoke, interrupting Thales.

His expression was cold, his gaze dangerous.

"And I have not even reached the ports, trade, and customs duties yet," Thales said expressionlessly.

"Then you do not need to say it," Zayen said coldly. "It saves time, effort, and a pot of good wine for me."

"But I must say it! And so must you!" Thales suddenly raised his voice.

Zayen frowned.

Thales adjusted his breathing and did his best to speak sincerely.

"I believe, Zayen, that you left traps, or rather difficulties, for your successor early on, difficulties only Covendier can resolve. Your goal was absolutely not mutual destruction."

Zayen's eyes moved slightly.

"It was to create bargaining chips for negotiation," Thales stared at him. "And that is exactly what we are doing."

Thales sighed.

"Please. Even if only for Jade City's sake, I believe letting it decline from here was absolutely not your original intention."

Zayen stared steadily at him and was silent for quite a while.

"Those conditions. Are they your father's intention?"

Thales' heart tightened.

"As long as you agree," the prince said in a deep voice, "I will handle Renaissance Palace."

Zayen laughed with a scoff.

Thales frowned.

"I mean it. The specific terms can still be discussed, but I can take full responsibility-"

Zayen suddenly interrupted him:

"Why did you come to find me?"

Thales paused.

Zayen leaned toward him, his gaze aggressive.

"Tell me, Thales. From debt to taxation, from market to public security, you sat in that seat and encountered so many matters from beginning to end. You even investigated Covendier's family property and learned how Jade City's industries operate. Yet the conditions you offer are still these?"

"And you even still think that all difficulties can be solved as long as you threaten me with arbitration and borrow enough money?"

Thales frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?"

Zayen shook his head and laughed despite himself.

"You are the Duke of Star Lake, Thales. You should understand the architectural structure of the kingdom's rule: the monarch, the great and small nobles, officials, agents, and all kinds of common people from all walks of life, from top to bottom..."

Thales showed confusion.

Zayen leaned back and opened his arms to the entire room.

"But here, in Jade City, you can see something different. Merchants' transactions and status are guaranteed. Farmers are exempted from service and even heavy taxes. Craftsmen from every trade form guilds and speak together. Officials at every level work diligently and proceed according to rules. Even foreigners are respected here. Once even the greatest vassal or highest noble steps through the city gates, he must acknowledge all the rules above. He must understand why the lowly farmer from his fields can shout at the lords in the Judgment Hall without being punished."

Thales' gaze moved, and he thought silently.

Zayen patted his own chest.

"Because all the rights these people possess are guaranteed by us, by the Iris Flower family, by the Guardian Duke. In other words, whether merchant groups and financial groups demand clear trade regulations in City Hall, whether farmers shout for rents and taxes to have fixed limits, or whether craftsmen unite to demand the city lord severely punish wage deductions, all of it is taken from, granted by, and shared from the authority of the duke.

"Under this new order, nobles have their desire for layer upon layer of exploitation sealed. Officials grasp the power to establish rules. Merchants offer generosity born from greed. Farmers rise with motivation to work desperately for themselves. Money from within and beyond the territory comes in full, to be used by me.

"But it is precisely under this new order that we, the noble ducal family, made unprecedented compromises. From top to bottom, we walked out of Emerald Palace and stepped down from the highest throne. We led by example, restrained our vassals, and did things that most rulers cannot understand. We not only bear safety and defense, but also worry about market order, resident welfare, merchant operations, and law enforcement. For this, we did not hesitate to borrow debts that several generations could not repay, did not hesitate to personally enter the field and take shares in operations, did not hesitate to invest in all kinds of businesses that cost money without making a sound, and did not hesitate to establish rules that even a country baron would find humiliating and embarrassing, while we ourselves had to be the first to lower our heads and obey them!"

Thales recalled every detail of what he had seen and heard since arriving in Jade City, and his expression changed slightly.

Zayen's eyes flickered.

"Imagine it. The supreme king in Eternal Star City has limitless authority. Eckstedt's jointly elected king inspires fear in all. Conmas' supreme councilors are guarded by strict family gates and corrupt to the bone. Everywhere in the world, the powerful and wealthy stand at the highest link in rule and act tyrannically on their own lands!

"But we, every generation of Covendier dukes walking through our own city, must be careful not to trample even a single street stall. If we do something troublesome, we must spend money to hire the Blood Bottle Gang. If a farmer picks his nose and curses us to our faces for doing poorly, we still have to smile, wave, and apologize. If a merchant is robbed five miles outside the city, we must spend an enormous sum to mobilize troops, pursue the criminals to the ends of the earth at any cost, bring them to justice, then sweep back and forth over hundreds of miles for three months and patrol for an entire year in order to recover the trust lost because of it!

"This is what makes Jade City, and even the South Coast Territory, different. Starting from 'Parrot Duke' over a hundred years ago, my ancestors imitated the Virtuous King. But after several generations, they went further than Mindis. What we established by giving up power, cutting away interests, and sacrificing status was not merely rules for subjects and outsiders to obey. It was also a cage and fence binding ourselves, a chain that even we ourselves do not dare touch, much less break!"

Hearing this, Thales could not help being moved.

He suddenly understood why Zayen Covendier was the guardian duke with the best reputation, the finest image, and the most "approachable" manner in the kingdom.

The logic, conditions, and reason behind this, the ought and inevitability embedded in history and environment, could absolutely not be simply explained by a single sentence like "Zayen is hypocritical, artificial, and sanctimonious."

As rulers, King Nuven could be domineering, King Chapman could be ruthless, King Kessel could be cold and merciless, even Prime Minister Cullen could be old-fashioned and imposing, Cyril Falkenhausen could act shamelessly, one-eyed Khorst could be proud and aloof, and Duke Val of the Northern Territory could be extreme and biased...

But Zayen could not.

Zayen was this way not because he liked it, nor because he was willing.

But because he had to be.

Because Jade City was this way.

Just as ancient blades cannot escape their sheaths.

"And these things, could your father, that Iron-Fisted King who brooks no doubt, who only knows how to take and not how to give, accomplish them?" Zayen said softly.

Thales raised his head, his expression grave.

"So, as the highest link in the chain of rule," the prince could not help murmuring, "the Iris Flower family took out the duke's authority and guaranteed this city, and even the entire South Coast. You established order, clearly set rules, formed systems, obeyed laws, and even sacrificed authority..."

Zayen smiled and nodded lightly.

"To be precise, we cast ourselves into the cornerstone of order, willingly becoming the bottom link of the new chain from the highest link of the old structure."

Old structure, new chain...

Thales sighed long.

"Thus, the new chain began to operate: ensuring safety, attracting commerce, leveraging the economy, freeing labor, encouraging production, driving the people, influencing the land, changing the way vassals survived, and then transforming their stance and nature..."

The real intelligence about Jade City, military, economic, political, class, historical, all of it transformed piece by piece into abstract images and shapes, circulating and piling up before his eyes.

The more Thales spoke, the more distracted he became.

"Thus this chain climbed upward layer by layer, one link connected to another, one link giving birth to another. In this way, over a hurried hundred years, Jade City quietly rose. It fed back to the Iris Flower family, making everyone who lived from this and benefited from it, whether princes and nobles or ordinary people, trust the guarantee of the South Coast Duke, become accustomed to the rules of Jade City's lord, and obey Covendier's order.

"In this way, the Covendier family returned from the bottom link to the highest link. The chain turned, formed a loop, activated the whole situation, and completed the replacement of old order with new."

Thales took a deep breath and became increasingly solemn.

"More importantly, over this century and more, Iris Flower gave up part of Jade City and gifted it to officials, farmers, workers, merchants, and all sorts of people, allowing them to truly become part of Jade City. In turn, you used this to firmly bind yourselves to every part of Jade City: both guarantor and beneficiary, both leader and escort, both foundation stone and tower peak, an indispensable link."

Thales gritted his teeth.

"And if one day, this link is broken by someone..."

Hearing this, Zayen, who had been silent all along, sneered and spoke:

"Then it will be like what you experienced in that chair. This chain will break from that link, layer after layer will come apart, and then collapse one after another. Because what was removed was not merely the peak, but also the foundation: the source of power, the making of rules, the enforcement of law, the guarantee of order, the choices of commerce, the flow of money, the form of the economy, the content of production, the lives of the people, the rule of vassals, and finally Jade City's prosperity and stability. They will trigger chain reactions one after another, a vicious cycle, shattering inch by inch."

Thales frowned deeply.

"If I do not want to break it, but merely replace this link-"

"Then you must likewise first dismantle it, dismantle this chain," Zayen interrupted him without mercy, "and then copy our history, paying the same or even greater price to start another chain."

"Because this is a chain, not an old-style structure. When the lord of a manor changes surnames, the farmers in the fields feel no difference. In any case, the whip above their heads remains vicious. Changing lords is like removing one brick from the roof." Zayen sneered. "But here, Jade City's 'farmers' will worry about how safety will be ensured, who will enforce the rules, whether industries will change, whether the new lord will share interests with them and bear hardship together. Because you are not removing a brick from the roof. You are removing a link from a taut chain."

At that instant, Thales' breathing rose and fell. He stared at Zayen before him, yet felt that what he faced was not a person.

It was a city.

"Then I will rebuild this chain, win back trust, even have the royal family invest, set rules, construct an order everyone trusts, and prove that Covendier is not irreplaceable..." he said through gritted teeth.

Only, if that were so...

"How long?"

Zayen said coldly:

"Even if you are blessed with extraordinary talent and act properly, even if you absorb the experience of the previous two hundred years and have the benefit of hindsight, even if, as a newcomer, the price and sacrifice you pay are far less than what six generations of Covendiers paid... how long will that take? After Jade City declines, how long will you need to use the Jadestar royal family as a foundation to reshape trust, rebuild the chain, and recreate today's South Coast Territory?"

The South Coast Duke sneered without end.

"Five years? Ten years? Twenty years? Thirty years?"

Thales wanted to speak but stopped.

"And the prerequisite is that you and the royal family restrain yourselves, and also restrain your vassals. You cannot suck blood from Jade City, cannot take so much as a needle or thread, cannot recreate the nobles' old habit of exploitation. Only by waiting patiently can you finally wait until the day it flourishes and feeds back into rule."

Zayen smiled.

"In fact, I have quite a bit of confidence in you. Thirty years should be about enough?"

Zayen narrowed his eyes. "But how much time do you have left?"

"I mean, how much time did he give you?"

Thales' breath caught.

"Now, do you understand?"

Zayen stared at him, but Thales felt as though a city was pressing down on him.

"As for the conditions you just sat here and proposed to me: taxes, the army, trade, industry, almost every link in the chain."

The South Coast Duke clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"I know your father covets these things, but does he truly know what our wealth and surplus were exchanged for? What he demands, do you really think I can give it?"

Thales turned his head with difficulty.

"And as a monarch who stands high above and knows nothing of respect, yet wants to possess the return that the Covendier family labored for across six generations and seven dukes, moving with difficulty from the highest link to the lowest link, then from the lowest link back to the highest..."

"Kessel Jadestar the Fifth," the duke looked at the myriad lights and spoke coldly, "does he have the qualification?"

Thales was silent for a long time, his thoughts unknown.

Zayen also said nothing. He sat back in his seat and silently drank.

"I understand."

Zayen turned his head.

"Jade City was not built in a single night, Zayen," Thales looked at the duke, his gaze sincere. "Then it should not be destroyed in a single night. It should not."

Zayen first frowned, then sneered disdainfully.

"A threat? Truly? From you?"

Thales shook his head, sadness on his face.

"Do you know you are very lucky?"

"What?" Zayen asked in confusion.

"Imagine. If it were my father, if after succeeding, he discovered these... circumstances in Jade City," Thales looked over the furnishings in the room and sighed, "then perhaps I should be praying for you and for your city."

"So right now, the first one you encountered is me. You truly are lucky."

Zayen's gaze moved.

He stared at Thales for a good while.

"I have already made myself very clear," finally, the South Coast Guardian Duke scoffed. "Believe it or-"

"Then will you just let Jade City walk toward decline, even destruction?" Thales suddenly raised his head and voice.

The prisoner's room was quiet for an instant.

"Not me. You," Zayen looked at Thales, hatred filling his gaze. "You."

Thales frowned.

"I know you are resentful, Zayen, because this is your city," he said earnestly. "But precisely because of that, precisely because this is your Jade City, your people, not Star Lake Fort, and certainly not Eternal Star City!"

Zayen's expression gradually froze.

Thales took a deep breath.

"I swear, I will fight for the best conditions for you. But the prerequisite is..."

"Do you know what I thought of just now, when I looked out the window and saw the lights of Jade City's thousands of households?" Zayen softly interrupted him.

Thales frowned.

Zayen raised his head and snorted disdainfully.

"It is said that six hundred years ago, John the First insisted on having his own way and resolved to launch a northern campaign against Eckstedt, 'to complete the unfinished cause of his late father.'"

Thales remembered something, and his expression changed.

"Zayen..."

"At the time, all of Stars was martial, and the entire country rejoiced. Only the aged 'Wise Minister' Halva struggled up from his sickbed, chased after the king's procession through the night, and remonstrated with his life on the line."

Zayen's voice was very soft:

"'Does Your Majesty not see the lights of ten thousand homes and the countless living beings? How can you bear to plunge them into ruin?'"

Thales looked at him, his expression growing more sorrowful.

"And King John, mighty in talent and strategy, conqueror of countless lands, sat on his horse and raised his eyes to the lights of ten thousand homes before him."

Zayen's gaze drifted, as if he truly saw that scene.

"'What my eyes see is only darkness.'"

Thales closed his eyes.

"Yes. Those are the original words of John 'Black Eyes.'"

Zayen paused, then looked faintly toward Thales, his emotions complicated.

"Your ancestor."

No one spoke. The room was silent for a full minute.

Until Thales abruptly stood and walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Zayen looked at his wineglass. "No more wine?"

Thales' footsteps paused.

"You forgot one thing."

The prince sighed.

"Yes, Zayen. What you use as bargaining chips to protect yourself is the foundation built by generations of the Covendier family."

He turned around.

"But do not forget," Thales said coldly, "in this palace, who is not a Covendier?"

Zayen's expression changed slightly when he heard this.

"!"

The door was opened violently.

"Your Highness!"

First Class Guard Officer Doyle, his head wrapped in bandages, instantly rushed into the room with the look of a loyal subordinate ready to answer at any call.

"The Guard Wing has already formed up. What orders do you-"

"Open Federico's room," Thales cut him off directly without wasting words. "I want to see him. Now."

"Uh, yes!"

Zayen frowned.

Thales was preparing to walk out when Zayen spoke:

"You will regret it."

Thales looked back.

"Because I am going to find another Covendier?"

"No," Zayen narrowed his eyes, dangerous light rising within them. "Because the other person you are going to find..."

He turned his head.

"Is also a Covendier."

Thales' expression sank.

The next second.

"Danny Doyle, First Class Guard Officer!"

Doyle had originally been striding past a team of guards with great dignity, pondering what imposing posture he should use to open the opposite door. Hearing the prince unusually call out his full name, his foot slipped in fright. Yet he had no time to care about looking pathetic and scrambled back in a tumble.

"Your, Your Highness?"

"From now on, all of Zayen Covendier's food, drink, daily necessities, and external communications will be sent in and out by you. You will be personally responsible and carefully inspect them," Thales ordered expressionlessly. "I do not want to see anyone pass him any message from outside this room ever again."

Zayen's hand holding the wineglass paused.

"Yes, as you command. Ah, I, me?" Doyle was first overwhelmed by the favor, then uneasy. "But Your Highness, I worry I cannot..."

"Do you remember the assassin at the royal banquet?"

Doyle froze when he heard this.

Zayen's expression changed slightly.

"The one who held your father hostage with a sword, forced you into a duel, and nearly ruined your family?"

Thales tilted his head, looked coldly at Zayen, and jerked his chin.

"He sent him."

Doyle shook visibly.

He turned his head in disbelief and looked at Zayen, who was frowning deeply.

The next second, Thales walked out of the room without looking back.

Only Zayen, sighing long, remained.

And Doyle, whose expression was ugly as he stared fixedly at him.