Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

251 Who Is She?

“The elves’ envoy is coming. We received a message.”

Hearing Hong San’s words, Kang De was stunned.

Then, he returned to his senses.

He instantly entered a state.

Although he had lived relatively leisurely on Earth for a few days, this did not mean that he had already relaxed his vigilance. The war between Goethe and the elves had not ended. In fact, the main force of the Elven Expeditionary Force had not been destroyed and was still capable of launching a large-scale battle.

!!

Moreover, this was only an expeditionary army.

The country that the expeditionary army belonged to was still the hegemon of the world and had the military strength to deter the world.

The war was not over, far from it.

Compared to this, Earth was only a small battle.

Before he could say anything, Hong San added, “…Although it’s a little fast.”

Kang De said in surprise, “Fast?”

Hong San was surprised. “Not fast?”

“…Oh.”

Jet lag. This was really jet lag.

In front of the time flow of 7:1, the difference produced was really too weak. He had already been on Earth for five days, but it had not even been a day in the other world. Kang De looked out of the window and could only be considered to be dawn. No wonder the gorilla’s eyes were a little sleepy. He did not react for a moment.

He glanced at Hong San’s mental state and asked, “How did you rest?”

Hong San smiled and said, “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Have you forgotten? I’ve said it before. The sect has a cultivation technique and can use meditation to rest more efficiently, so I’m in good spirits now.”

“However, appropriate rest and relaxation are still necessary… You have to give yourself a break,” Kang De said. “It’s been hard on you these few days.”

As he spoke, he sighed in his heart.

When he was tired from fighting, he could balance the time and run back to Earth to slack. He could order takeout, sleep soundly, surf the Internet, and browse Weibo. He had only used a day in the other world for seven days of fun. He felt extremely good from a long vacation and felt tired of it. He could also farm elite monsters to temper his emotions and cultivate his temperament.

However, Hong San was different.

Ever since he encountered the Heaven and Earth Association, he had not stopped. He had brought more and more people to run around and dodge the attacks of the elves and the threat of war. Arriving at Valentine City was not the beginning of a peaceful life, but the beginning of hardship and seriousness. In order to defend the city, he had racked his brains and his mood had fluctuated several times. He had fought to the death and placed his life outside. In the end, he had waited for victory, but after winning, he still had to busy himself.

Moreover, most of the busyness was for him, Kang De.

As the head butler representing Kang De, he interacted with the Goethe officials, the various places in the province, the wild people, and even the various factions. He coordinated the various reconstructions of Valentine City and had to arrange everything in an orderly manner. After the speech at the Valentine National Cemetery, Kang De chatted with people from all walks of life for two to three hours and felt extremely dizzy. God knew how Hong San handled everything.

Thinking of this, Kang De felt a little guilty.

He even felt a little guilty.

He felt that he should end his vacation as soon as possible and return to his great business of destroying the elves.

At the very least, he could not push all the work to Hong San alone.

He said, “I have to give you a break as soon as possible.”

Hong San smiled and said, “Your words are enough. There’s no hurry. Actually, it’s nothing. I’m already used to it. I’m born to work. Once I’m free, I don’t know what to do.”

Kang De reached out and patted his arm. “I’m good at this. I can idle for an entire year and have something to do. When the time comes, I’ll introduce you to some interesting fun.”

Unfortunately, the other world could not connect to Earth’s network. Otherwise, he could get Hong San to help him kick the can.

Hong San did not know what Kang De was thinking, but this did not stop him from being happy. In fact, talking to him so easily and happily was already very good news to him.

The two of them sat down. The gorilla half squeezed and half lay over and hugged one of Kang De’s arms to catch up on her sleep. Kang De shrugged and said to Hong San, “Tell me about the elf envoy.”

“The news came about three in the morning.”

Hong San said, “The etiquette of the elves is complicated and there are many rules. They treat diplomacy as a huge matter and value their pride greatly. Therefore, they will characterize this diplomatic mission as an unofficial meeting, not a diplomatic negotiation between the two countries, but a personal visit exchange for you. After all, they’ve suffered such a huge loss. A diplomatic conversation means showing weakness.”

Kang De smiled when he heard this. “Isn’t this showing weakness?”

Hong San blinked. “Your Highness, this is the essence of diplomacy.”

Kang De smiled and shook his head, indicating that he understood.

He continued, “The elves can be said to have taken great pains. Since it’s an unofficial meeting, they won’t inform you through the Goethe officials. Therefore, they took a huge detour. From the Dwarven Royal Family to the Dwarven Royal Merchants to the partners of the human world, they sent word layer by layer. In the end, they sent this news through an honorary duke of the Empire. Not only did they ensure that such a conversation proposal was unrelated to the officials, but they also did not make this conversation request look wretched and shabby. After all, it’s a duke, even if it’s only an honorary title.”

Kang De sighed. “What a f*cking pain.”

“Your Highness, in view of the fact that you’ll often interact with the elves in the future, it’s best to start getting used to their style of doing things from now on. They’ll often struggle and delay in inexplicable places.”

Hong San finished speaking with a serious expression, then said in a low voice, “By the way, I think so too.”

The two of them looked at each other and laughed in unison.

After laughing for a moment, Kang De asked, “Then, who’s the so-called envoy?”

Hong San shook his head and said, “I don’t know. That honorable duke’s letter only said that he’s a ‘noble figure whose etiquette and identity match Your Highness Kang De’s status and will definitely not embarrass the Twilight Dynasty’.”

At this point, he sighed, “The elves won’t do anything to such a thing. If anything goes wrong, they’ll be the ones to lose face. I guess it must be a member of the Elven royal family, a prince or a princess.”

“Because Your Highness’s identity is the Prince Consort of Goethe, the battle results of the Valentine Battle have even increased your honor and prestige. Corresponding to your identity, you’re definitely an equally noble person in the elf world. Therefore, it’s normal to keep your name a secret. This is because although this conversation has been sugarcoated, it’s actually still a submission and negotiation. The elf officials won’t admit that this conversation happened, nor will they taint the reputation of that royal family.”

Kang De changed his posture and let the gorilla sleep more comfortably in his arms.

Then, he asked, “So much effort… Will this negotiation go smoothly?”

Hong San replied, “That depends on how you define the word ‘smoothly’. If we only sell the corpses of the elves in the ruins of the battlefield for a good price, we’ll definitely get what we want. The elves are the hegemons of the world and super powerful countries. They want their face and don’t lack money. It must be very pleasant to blackmail them.”

Kang De pondered for a moment and said indifferently, “What if it’s a truce?”

Hong San did not answer immediately. Instead, he thought for a moment and slowly said, “I’m not sure… It can’t be said to be completely impossible. If Her Highness wants a temporary truce or even an official truce, it depends on the outcome of the game between the pro-war faction and the peace faction in the elves’ country. Our information in this aspect is very scarce.”

“But I can still find signs in some details.”

“For example…”

He looked at Kang De and said softly, “The stance and attitude displayed by the elf envoy this time.”

Kang De nodded slowly.

Thinking of the brave people who had died in the Battle of Valentine, they were the brightest hope and pillar of this country. However, the more sincere and brave they were, the sooner they would sacrifice themselves.

He sighed, “I hope peace comes soon. I hope this negotiation is a good start.”

Although he had the killing weapon of mass projection, he did not want to use it a second time if possible, because that meant the continuation of the war and more sacrifices. No matter how many elves he could kill, this country had already been more damaged… He hoped that more Nicks would survive.

“I hope so.”

Hong San nodded and said in a low voice, “I understand your pity, but I have to remind you that you still have to make some relatively bad preparations for such a thing.”

Kang De nodded gently, his eyes turning cold.

“I know.”

He said indifferently, “In the current situation, it’s very difficult to defeat the elves until they surrender unconditionally. However, we can still change the direction of the war and interfere in the game process between the elves’ main faction and the main battle faction…

Hong San nodded solemnly when he heard this. “Yes, of course, we can.”

Kang De looked out the window. “When will the elf envoy come?”

Hong San replied, “Looking at that letter, it’s only been a day or two. The royal family rides the phoenix at an extremely fast speed.”

Seeing that Kang De was silent, Hong San said, “Even if they’re here, there’s no harm in letting them wait.”

Kang De’s expression changed slightly. He calculated the date and nodded.

He had already decided to end his vacation and turn his focus back to the other world.

Firstly, the elf envoy was about to arrive. He had to deal with this new thing.

Secondly… Mother Kang was about to return to the country. Staying on Earth was equivalent to wasting the time of the other world. He had to try his best to finish the urgent matters in the other world before his mother returned.

However, even so, he still had to return to Earth and settle the matter.

Including accompanying Old Wang and bidding farewell, he signed for everything he had bought on Taobao. In addition, Xie Ligan’s side was a pleasant surprise. This big capitalist had farmed in the business world for 40 years and had a wide network. His resources could be said to be endless. Most importantly, Kang De was still controlling him now.

Of course, he had to take advantage of the honeymoon period.

“If the elf envoy comes, help me hang it out and deal with it. You can figure out the exact scale yourself.” At this point, Kang De paused, “Is there a problem?”

He was naturally a little worried. After all, he knew what Hong San had looked like earlier. Although Hong San had already been reborn, the person who had come was from the Elven Royal Family. He did not know if he knew what to do.

Hong San smiled casually, “There’s no problem. I’m walking outside. Others respect, fear, and please me because I represent your will. I know this better than them and definitely won’t embarrass Your Highness. Today’s Hong San is no longer yesterday. I won’t even kneel to Your Highness, so how can I kneel to them?”

Kang De was stunned for a moment before hurriedly waving his hand. “I didn’t mean that.”

Hong San still smiled. “I understand. You’re worried that I’ve overcorrected… There’s no problem. I follow Your Highness and treat you as a benefactor and an example. I’ve also learned your style.”

Kang De rolled his eyes. “I hope you didn’t learn to curse.”

Hong San blinked. “There’s no need to learn this. Master taught me. Do you want to hear it?”

“…Forget it.”

After chatting and laughing for a while, Hong San asked Kang De about the support he needed previously. Kang De described it to him.

Hong San said that he would pay attention, but it was relatively troublesome. He had to slowly search in secret.

“Or we can blackmail the elves.”

Kang De clapped and said, “Good idea.”

Hong San stood up and bowed, “The elves are rich and have deep financial resources. The Twilight Dynasty conquered many countries and regions and accumulated them for hundreds or thousands of years. There are countless rare treasures. Such a chance to extort money is rare. You can imagine and make a wish list and let the elves pay.”

Extortion always made people happy.

Kang De nodded. “I will.”

“Oh, right… there’s one more thing.”

Hong San said, “The gold and jewelry you asked me to collect yesterday… I’ve already gained something. I used a portion of the battlefield fragments that are collectible and useless to exchange for gold bricks produced by the dwarves from a few collectors. They’re extremely pure and only added a small amount of pure copper and silver to maintain their hardness.”

“There is also some natural jewelry that doesn’t contain any magic power. It’s not difficult to find because this is a popular trend. Jewelry that doesn’t contain any magic power represents the purest natural beauty and can perfectly reflect the simple skills of a craftsman.”

He introduced it and said, “It’s already packed. Should I bring it over for you?”

Kang De nodded.

Therefore, the box was sent over. The two of them carried it and it was very heavy. After the servants left, Hong San bade farewell. Kang De looked at him and asked, “Aren’t you curious?”

Hong San stood by the door and bowed elegantly to him, “Please don’t forget my past, Your Highness. Although it’s an unbearable past, it’s not all useless memories. At the very least, I’ve learned to keep it a secret and restrain my curiosity. After all, everyone has their own secrets.”

“I believe you. The reason why you didn’t tell me is definitely that it’s not suitable or meaningless. In that case, why should I take it to heart? You have to know that this is not the only thing worth being curious about.”

That’s right, including the various magical items and performances when defending the city, the strange things he took out one after another, the connection with the green-skinned, the terrifying weapons he had never heard of, and even the terrifying power to destroy the five large legions.

There were too many curious things. Hong San had never asked.

Kang De’s thoughts were wandering when he heard Hong San say, “For example, compared to this, I’m more curious about what will happen when Your Highness meets Princess Tina.”

Kang De was shocked. Hong San had long closed the door and ran away.

“…F*ck.”

Kang De spoke to the gorilla for a while and promised to return soon. Then, he took the box and left.

Back on Earth.

The light in the living room was on, and it was already dark outside. It was almost midnight. Kang De got up and found Xiaoman lying on the sofa, sleeping deeply. She was still holding his phone.

He walked forward and looked at Xiaoman’s sleeping face. The familiar and beautiful face made him feel at ease. He smiled and gently picked her up. He carried her to the bedroom, put her down, and covered her with the blanket.

Then, he sat by the bed and sighed softly.

It was time to go back.

He took the phone from Xiaoman’s hand and turned it on. He had originally planned to contact Xie Ligan, but he was suddenly not in the mood to show off to such an old guy.

It was time to go back.

He bade farewell to the quiet days on Earth.

He went to the other world that contained many memories.

Kang De slowly exhaled.

For a moment, he had mixed feelings and even began to miss the past.

He stopped and looked back.

He opened the photo album on his phone. The shining screen shone on his face. Photos could freeze time and were even more useful when he was lonely. The photos he had taken in the past 20 years were not as many as the ones taken in a year in the other world. He scrolled down. When Valentine heard his speech, the city that had been devastated by war, the scenery of Goethe, the photo of his iron son, and further ahead was the wind in the Empire, the broken walls and sand.

Before that was complete Glory Sand.

It was the journey of the Penguin drifting on the sea. The enthusiastic and straightforward crew, the sky and sea, the birds and waves, the unique ships, gatherings, games, wrestling, and everything.

The sailors who were hugging and laughing wildly, and the slightly reserved captain, had always been the head maid with the same expression and posture. The voices and smiles of these people were only frozen in the data flow formed by 1 and 0.

There was also that person.

There was also Tina, who was still innocent, kind, beautiful, and innocent at that time.

There was also his hopeful and optimistic self at that time.

Looking further, it was the Holy Seal Islands.

There were commemorative photos of them bidding farewell to the magical animals. Every animal had their necks exposed, bright smiles, and all kinds of animal faces. Some were also grinning, and some rolled their eyes in disdain.

There was also his home, the traces left behind by his year of living, and the scenery of the Holy Seal Islands.

Further ahead was the battle, the first battle he had experienced.

The captured Wayne Wings, the cleaned battlefield, and the burning rift valley.

Further ahead was the memory of the dead.

On the battlefield, he was wearing a red dress and holding a sharp blade. His face was still stained with a few drops of blood. His boots stepped on the corpses and blood-soaked soil, revealing a demonic beauty.

Kang De had once treated these photos and videos as jokes to threaten that certain person for the rest of his life.

However, fate was unpredictable. Who could say for sure?

—Looking at you again, I can’t smile anymore…

At this moment, Kang De, who was immersed in his memories, suddenly felt that something was wrong.

He turned around.

He saw Wang Xiaoman, who had been sleeping soundly, looking over with her eyes open.

The bedroom was dark. Only the screen of her phone illuminated Xiaoman’s side profile, but the other side was hidden in the darkness, so it made her expression look a little strange… or rather, peculiar.

“Who is she?”