Chapter 1587 - 173: On Negotiation and Reasoning (2)

——Mainly because Fang Hong is worried about Colin and Hilveld being together.

Just before entering, the Big Catfolk patted Fang Hong's shoulder and winked at him: "Not bad."

Fang Hong nodded, roughly understanding what the other meant.

While negotiating with Golande and the Oak Knights, he was manipulated quite a bit, but people do grow, and he gradually learned to consider problems from more angles.

Just where Fang Hong couldn't see, Atira and the Big Catfolk exchanged glances. Reed's eyes had a somewhat inquiring look—the Elf Miss sighed gently and shook her head.

After everyone entered the dark door, there was a downward spiral staircase, extending step by step into the darkness.

Walking in front, Elisa held a resin torch, illuminating the darkness, but the flickering light could only shine a short distance—the firelight revealed the dirt-grey walls, stained with dried blood that had long seeped into the walls.

There was also a river of blood, seemingly brushed onto the staircase, flowing step by step, like a dark red carpet.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Abed silently glanced around before slowly responding to the previous question:

"Regarding the birth mother of the Princess, because it concerns the Royal Household's reputation, the rumors among the people aren't really accurate. Most people only know that the Queen fell ill suddenly and unfortunately passed away. As the number of starlight among the Royal Household members is a secret, privately people discuss it but don't question too much..."

"...However, within the Royal Household and among the nobles, the incident caused quite a stir at the time—Barbaltan had just taken over the throne from the previous King of Sand, so his position wasn't stable. Domestically and abroad, there were many who coveted the throne and hated the Penelope Family."

Abed's voice was unhurried, slow and steady, somewhat hoarse, with a thick local accent.

But his pronunciation was distinct enough that no one would confuse it. His narrative style, among those storytellers Fang Hong had heard, was quite unique, with a strong personal style that was almost unforgettable.

"The attack was actually part of a series of conspiracies against members of the Royal Household at the time, and was later classified as revenge from Istani nobles who harbored grievances against the Penelope Royal House, aimed at both contemporary and former Kings of Sand, such incidents weren't uncommon at the time—"

"Is that the truth?" Fang Hong's brown eyes reflected the torch's light, shimmering faintly, he asked.

Abed slowly shook his head:

"The Princess's grandfather, the former King of Sand, was a man of great personal charm, right-hand prowess, and a strong character. He suppressed a group of opponents with an iron fist under the pretext of banning slave trade. During his tenure, with the support of Colin Ishurian, almost no one dared to voice opposition."

"But once the former king died, Barbaltan had yet to display any remarkable abilities, plus the old king of Colin Ishurian was ailing more by the day. The Colin People seemed less concerned about Istania than before, giving some people the opportunity."

"But these people were proven wrong, one after another failed. Barbaltan dragged out most of the nobles and royals who participated in conspiracies, one by one. The 'Eltana's River of Blood' mentioned by the nobles refers to events from that era, but that was merely a derogatory term used by those who felt fear and helplessness."

"During this process, most conspiracies were ultimately revealed, Barbaltan established his prestige and won the support of most people. But except for one matter, it was never clarified. The Penelope Royal House covered up the truth, executed a group of nobles under this pretext, and declared the case closed—"

"Although those people were guilty, their connection to the Queen's attack was minor. Only a few who knew the inside story understood this fact, the Grand Princess was one among them."

Here Abed looked up at Fang Hong.

"This matter is actually unknown even to the Little Princess. Not everyone in the Penelope Royal House knows about it. If you weren't Holy Choosers and the Princess hadn't personally commissioned you, I wouldn't have spoken of it. But I hope everyone can keep this secret, abiding by the 'Stargate Declaration' articles."

Fang Hong nodded, even if the other hadn't mentioned it, he would have done so.

As for the other members of the team, they weren't so interested in gossip. The only one keen on such things, Miss Elisa, would only spread some bad rumors about Lord Captain within the team.

'Loudmouth' Parker was already positioned at the back of the group.

Fang Hong asked: "So in the end, the identity of the attackers is still a mystery?"

"Not entirely," Abed answered: "There was indeed a group of nobles involved at the time. They were secretly imprisoned and unknown to the outside world. Over ten years, most of these people had passed away, either from illness or unable to withstand harsh interrogations. These pitiable individuals provided some information from the time, but not much—"

"What is known is that these people had contact with those Wandering Alchemists, but never understood their identities. Some of them even thought these Wandering Alchemists were just a bunch of 'hyenas', bounty hunters whose eyes were only on money, a 'knife' they used for hired killings."