Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Hatred Stronger Than Ever

"I will go and see the king, and I promise to give you an answer as soon as possible." "Before the Duke of Bearnes arrives," she reminded me. "I should know the truth by then, and I must at least tell him the truth." "We shall have something more to offer him than the truth, my queen," I promised.The emeralds are still heavy in my pocket, and I know she won't spare them. During the years when the Red Ships attacked, the Six Principalities suffered unspeakably from the atrocities committed by the robbers, and the people of the Six Principalities also felt the hatred of the Outer Islanders more intensely than ever during that period.In the time of their grandfathers and fathers, Outislanders were merchants and pirates, and ships individually plundered the seas.But since King Wisdom's time, we have not really experienced the so-called raiding "wars", and although pirate attacks are not uncommon, they are much less frequent than ships from the outer islands coming to our coasts to do business.The blood relationship between the royal family and relatives in the outer islands is also an open fact, and many families have "cousins" living in the outer islands.

But since the brutal looting that preceded Forge, and the atrocities of Forge, all friendly talk of the Outislanders has faded.Their ships are more and more used to coming to our shores, while our merchants visit their frozen harbors and stormy canals less often.All commerce is now at a standstill, so our people have no news from their loved ones on the outer islands when we are caught up in the misery of the Red Ships.So "outer islanders" became synonymous with "robbers", and in our impression, all outer island ships also have red hulls. But one person, King Shrewd's personal advisor Chade Fallstar, volunteered to visit the Outer Isles at such a critical moment.Here's what his log looks like:

People in the Six Duchies had never heard of Cobb Robert, and no one in the Outer Islands dared to mention the name.The lone ranger from the backcountry of the Outer Isles had never served a king, and no one there regarded Cobb Robe as such.He was an evil force, like a cold wind that coats the rigging of a ship with ice and capsizes in the sea in less than an hour. The few folks I've met who aren't shy about talking about him say that Cobb gained power by subduing pirates sailing alone and by plundering and taking control of ships.With these, he turned to "recruiting" the best navigators and the most able captains, as well as the most skilled fighters he could find in these scattered villages.Those who reject him will have to watch their family members being tortured and abused, or what we call being tempered, and then face their family members who are walking dead.Most of them were later forced to take the lives of their family members with their own hands, only because the customs of the Outer Islanders required the head of the family to maintain order among family members was very strict.Once word of these events got around, there were far fewer people who would reject Cobb Robbe.Some fled, leaving their families to be tortured and ill-treated, others chose to take their own lives, but the families were still doomed, making few dared to speak out against Robert or his ships.

Even speaking against him invites torture and ill-treatment.Although the information I obtained during this journey was pitifully small, it was not easy to come by.I also collected some rumors, even though these were as rare as the black sheep in a herd of white sheep.I list them all as follows: a "white ship" is mentioned, and it is a ship that separates souls, not taking them captive, nor destroying them, but dividing them.They also whispered about a pale woman whom even Cobb Robe was in awe of.Many even blamed the devastation on their lands on an unprecedented "ice whale" or glacier invasion.Always hovering above their tiny settlements, they raced faster than anyone could remember, quickly covering up the little fields the Outislanders had, and causing "water shifts" that no one could explain to me. ".

I visited the king that night, still terrified.He should still remember what we talked about about Jie Min last time, perhaps more clearly than me.But I firmly remind myself that I am not here for personal matters, but for Kettricken and Verity.Then I knocked on the door, and Wallace reluctantly opened it to let me in.The King sat in a chair by the fire, and the Fool sat at his feet, gazing anxiously into the fire.King Shrewd looked up at me as I entered, greeted me kindly, and bade me sit down and tell him how my day was.I took the opportunity to quickly give the Fool a puzzled look, and he gave me a bitter smile back, so I sat on the stool opposite the Fool and waited.

King Shrewd looked down at me kindly. "What, boy? Tell me, how was your day?" "I've had a... troubled day, Your Majesty." "Is that so? A cup of tea, then, will do a good job of calming the nerves. Get my lad a cup of tea, Fool." "Very willingly, Your Majesty, I am glad to do as I am told." The Fool jumped up with unexpected lightness.A great clay pot of tea was being kept warm over the embers of the fire, and the Fool poured it into a cup and brought it to me, and blessed me: "Drink this cup as well as our King, will enjoy his serenity."

I reached out to take the teacup and lifted it to my lips, breathing in the hot air of the tea, and dipped it lightly with my tongue.It smells warm and spicy, and leaves a tingly sweet sensation on the tip of my tongue.I didn't drink this cup of tea, I just put down the cup with a smile. "It's a good tea, but isn't Michelle Leaf addictive?" I asked the king bluntly. He smiled down at me. "A little is all right. Wallace assures me it's good for my nerves and whets my appetite." "Yes, it does whet the appetite," put in the Fool. "The more you drink, the more you want to drink, so finish it quickly, Fitz. No doubt you'll be with someone later, so the more you drink, the less you'll have to share with him." Chenbi made a budding gesture, and waved towards the door just as Emperor Zun walked in as soon as the door opened.

"Oh, more visitors." King Shrewd chuckled happily. "It was a pleasant evening, no doubt. Sit down, my son, sit down! Fitz just said he's had a troubled day, so I'll let him have this tea to soothe himself." "It must be good for him." Regal agreed happily, then turned his head and smiled at me, "Troublesome day, Fitz?" "Quite a troublesome day. First of all, there's a little trouble at the stables. A ram duke's servant claims there that the duke bought four horses, one of which is a cliff, that is, to be mated with a mare. Stallion. I told him there must be something wrong, because the papers had no King's signature."

"Oh, those!" the king giggled again. "Regal was supposed to bring it for me to sign, but I forgot. It's settled now, though, and I'm sure the horses will set off for Tirs tomorrow, and the Duke of the Ram will find them a fine bunch. He really negotiated a good deal." "It never occurred to me that we would need to sell the best horses in Buckkeep," I said quietly, looking at Regal.