. There were interlocking braids tied on his head, and black tattoos on his face. There was also a strange tattoo shaped like a saw on his neck.

However, since Thales had already met Raphael and Mickey, he soon recognized the man.

‘He’s a Barren Bone man.’ Thales stared at him in shock. ‘What’s going on? What’s... a Barren Bone man doing here?’

Yodel remained in the darkness and did not move.

‘Calm down...’ Thales could only summon his courage and tell himself to remain calm, because Yodel must have his reasons to stay hidden, and he would not be mad at Thales for what happened just now... maybe.

However, the seemingly dangerous Barren Bone man only cast a glance at the room nonchalantly.

He did not even let his gaze linger on Thales for an extra second.

Then, another sharp, abrupt, and incredibly unpleasant middle-aged man’s voice rose into the air. There was cold amusement in that voice, and it gave displeasure to all those who heard it.

“Do not be scared by Gotham. The tattoos on his neck are just a part of the Sharlurn tribe’s tradition. It just means that he won thirty-six battles.”

Thales frowned. ‘The Sharlurn tribe? Thirty-six battles?’

The Barren Bone man named Gotham turned around and nodded before he left.

*Clomp, clomp, clomp...*

‘This sound...’ Thales had heard the Old Crow walk with his cane, and also heard the sounds produced by the Black Prophet when he walked. He immediately registered the sound in his head. ‘This is the sound of wood tapping against the floor.’

However, this time, the sound was much more rhythmic than the Old Crow’s and much brisker than the Black Prophet’s.

“Oh my, heh heh, it has been a long time since I was here.” The piercing voice rose again, and there was a slight Western Desert accent in it.

However, Thales would swear on his life that this was the most standard, perfect, and coherent version of the common language of the Western Peninsular ever since he entered the Great Desert. In fact, the person’s choice of words was common among those who lived in Eternal Star City.

“I once thought that I would never come to this tiring and ominous place again.” Finally, a person with a cane limped his way to the entrance of the room. He stood in a slouching manner.

The moment he stepped into the room, Thales’ anxiety and attention towards Gotham was completely snatched away by the newcomer.

The man used the cane to support his clearly handicapped left leg, and he leaned his full weight against the cane. Strangely enough, there was a longsword of a unique style bound to the cane, as if it longed for its owner to brandish the sword at the same time while he supported himself with the cane.

The owner of the piercing voice held on to the door frame. He tugged the armored robe on his body and cackled darkly. “Whew. This is truly a test for my leg.”

He raised his head as he continued to lean against his cane. He revealed a middle-aged face that could belong to a non-human. He looked withered and pale, and his mouth was askew.

Along with his cold and piercing voice and lively, sharp eyes, the impression he gave others caused those who saw him to feel chills creep down their spines.

The moment he saw the man, Thales was shocked! The terrifying middle-aged man gasped softly as he gauged Thales.

“Ha, you did grow up considerably over the past six years.” The man chuckled in a manner that brought displeasure to others. His laughter was like a poisonous needle that stabbed their hearts. “Let me guess, the Northlanders must have fed you well, yes?”

There was a few seconds of silence. Thales stared at the ornaments on the middle-aged man’s body and remembered something. The man continued to smile in that terrifying manner of his while he waited for Thales’ answer. In the end, Thales sucked in a deep breath.

“It has been a while, Your Grace.” The prince put away the dagger he held and straightened the flimsy clothes on his body before he spoke sternly.

The owner of the cane stared at him for a long time before he burst out in laughter. “Hahaha! Very good, you still remember this sack of old bones!”

His expression was exaggerated, making his non-human face look even more fearsome. He even clapped fiercely, as if he just saw something incredible.

The Barren Bone man, Gotham, turned around coldly as he was outside. He knocked Snake Shooter out again, right as the psionic woke up from unconsciousness.

‘Stay calm,’ the prince thought to himself. Thales forced himself not to look at Snake Shooter’s condition, instead he stared at the guest before him calmly.

“Your arrival was indeed unexpected...” The prince gently pulled a chair out from the table and gestured towards it before he casually sat down on the bed. “So, did you come to assist me, Baron Williams... or Blade Fangs Camp?”

historical

At that instant, the man’s sharp and cold laughter came to a halt as if he had understood something. The terrifying looking middle-aged man stared at Thales who appeared to be composed and relaxed. He clicked his tongue and said,

“Very good. You do not have the unique stink that turns the aristocratic young masters into useless pieces of trash... very good.

“We should change our views regarding those Northlanders. Perhaps they are not barbarians who only know how to use their fists to flip tables.”

A light crease appeared between Thales’ eyebrows. The middle-aged man snorted softly. He raised his left leg together with his cane and hobbled into the room.

*Clomp, clomp...*

Behind him, Gotham shut the door to the room in tacit understanding, leaving the middle-aged man alone with Thales... and turning the room into a tightly sealed cage again.

‘Stay calm,’ Thales advised himself again as he watched the man draw closer to him.

The middle-aged man limped towards the chair Thales pulled out for him before he spoke in a tone that was half mockery and half sentiment.

“However, Williams truly should not have brought you here as the first stop in your journey back to the country. This place is too high, far too high...”

The middle-aged man stopped before the study table as he mumbled. He turned his body sideways and stared at Thales coldly to reveal the window behind him, along with the many tiny and exquisite buildings in the distance that looked like building blocks.

“It is so high that I am worried whether you will accidentally... fall from here.”

Thales watched the longsword on his cane and felt his entire body tense.

Just like that, Cyril Fakenhaz, the master of the Fakenhaz Family—one of the Six Great Clans of Constellation—who used the Four-Eyed Skull as his emblem, the Guardian Duke of Western Desert, the suzerain of the Ruins, and the Unwelcomed, stood at the tallest point in Blade Fangs Camp. Then, in the highest room of Ghost Prince Tower, he casually said,

“Just like... that brother of your father’s.”