Mayor Nick's Deal

As the entire city of Valentan belatedly fell into the oppressive atmosphere and panic brought about by the elven siege, a carriage had already driven back to the Vidal Chamber of Commerce.

The horror and cruelty of war permeated every corner of the city, and dark clouds also hung over the Vidal Chamber of Commerce branch. A significant portion of the guards and staff had been organized into militia units and were currently defending the south wall of the city. The remaining staff were also under immense pressure.

In a spacious and comfortable bedroom, Kang De lay on the soft bed, inhaling the faint fragrance in the room, closing his eyes to doze off and relax.

As expected of a major business guild, the conditions here Heaven and Earth Society.

The elves attacked, trapping him in the city, but Kang De's own safety was not in question, even safer than Leona's —that young lady relied on the reputation of her family's merchant guild and the unspoken understanding between the elves and the empire, but ultimately she still had to depend on the elves, her life in someone else's hands.

And what about Master Kang?

They could hide in the White Mist World, or even return directly to Earth.

The time ratio of 1:7 between the two sides was very inconvenient for Kang De to do things on Earth, but everything has two sides. It became a very useful tool when he was escaping. For example, if he could stay on Earth for ten days or half a month, it would take two to three months in the other world. Even if the elves hated Kang De to the bone and wanted to kill him as soon as possible, they certainly wouldn't search for him in Valentan for such a long time.

But he wouldn't use this method unless absolutely necessary.

Two or three months... by then it'll be too late. If he comes back and finds that Goth has been defeated or even Tina has died in battle, he'll have to switch to an even more difficult dungeon.

Kang De, lying in bed, sighed silently.

Although his personal safety is not a problem, he is still under a lot of pressure.

Because he simply couldn't just leave.

Neither Hong San nor Leona could leave them here. This was Tina's country, Goth's city, and he didn't want to do nothing and watch so many people die.

But what can we do?

Today, the elves launched a surprise attack on the city, and he faced the onslaught of the Twilight Moon army head-on. Only then did he personally experience what war in another world was really like. Although it was completely incomparable to modern warfare, the roar of magic and the flying arrows showed that war was war, and it was not something that he, a mere individual, could change or stop.

He can deal with ten or twenty elves, defend a section of a city wall, and render the magic of elven mages useless, but that's about it; one person's strength is ultimately limited.

Earth's technology and military strength are his greatest assets, but the White Mist World map is limited, and the weapons he can obtain are at most civilian weapons, a few small-caliber guns. Moreover, there are no more tanker trucks. Even if there were, there would be no way to recreate the sun that night in Glittering Sand.

As for going back to Earth to develop a map... that's completely too late.

Time was already of the essence. From the accidental landing in Valentan to the present, the elven army had appeared like thunder. Even if he only had three hours back on Earth, almost a day would have passed in the other world. Three hours on Earth was not enough time to do anything, but a day was enough for the elves to conquer the city.

Kang De sighed again.

He appeared confident in front of Leona and spirited in front of Hong San, but his words were mostly words of comfort. Hong San was right; if the elves abandoned their cunning schemes and attacked with a straightforward and honorable army, then his side could only defend with a straightforward and honorable army. The two sides were locked in a battle of pure strength.

This is precisely Kang De's biggest weakness.

For example, he single-handedly shattered everything the Good Family had, but if he had faced off against all of their forces at that time, he would have certainly met his demise.

For a moment, Kang De frowned, unable to come up with any useful methods or strategies to defeat the enemy.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Kang De sat up abruptly and heard someone outside calling, "Kang De!"

It was Leona's voice... and her tone was a little nervous.

On a sudden impulse, he went to open the door and saw the charming young lady from the business association, her face slightly flustered, whispering, "That bastard Nick is here!"

Kang De paused for a moment, then asked, "What's he doing here?"

"Of course I'm here to see you!" After what had happened these past two days, Leona considered Mayor Nick her mortal enemy. Seeing him dare to come to her doorstep threw her into a panic. In her nervousness, she started rambling, "This is a rare opportunity, should we take advantage of this...?"

Kang De raised his hand and delivered a chop to the girl's forehead.

The girl clutched her head and cried out in pain, instinctively yelling, "You son of a bitch..."

She quickly realized she had said something foolish in front of Kang De again, and the beeping gradually subsided.

She stopped cursing, but rolled her eyes at Kang De and complained, "I've gone crazy these past two days! It must be because of that axe blow you gave me! It's all your fault!"

Kang De put on his coat, packed his various weapons—axe, spear, knife, bottle—and left the room.

Walking beside Kang De, Leona's tension gradually subsided. Her mood relaxed, her intelligence returned, and she regained her usual calm and shrewdness. She worriedly said, "That sheep-like man is so humble and polite, it's almost genuine. Putting on this elegant facade, he must have some ruthless scheme to devour us..."

Kang De calmly replied, "We'll find out then... It's actually a good thing that he's come to us. After all, if we want to defend the city, we can't avoid this mayor. The key to war is intelligence; knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. And in this city, the one who knows us best is definitely Nick."

After hearing what he said, Leona's aversion, resistance, and even desire to avoid Nick gradually disappeared.

She paused for a moment, then suddenly sighed, "Why are you so calm...? I've been smart since I was little, praised by my family, and I've accomplished quite a bit as an adult. I consider myself a genius, but being trapped in this city has shown me what panic is. I'm nowhere near as panicked as you..."

Upon hearing this, Kang De's gaze momentarily wavered.

Calm down...?

Upon closer reflection, that's true. But it's not an innate quality; it's more a product of experience. Anyone who survived over a year adrift on a deserted island without breaking down would have made some progress.

Moreover, there's the matter of Glittering Sand...

Regret and satisfaction, loss and recovery—human growth is nothing more than circling between these two things. He smiled at Leona and explained her doubts in one sentence.

"I've just been through a lot and seen it all."

However, the girl from another world could not simply smile knowingly. She did not understand the profound meaning of those words, but she gleaned another meaning from them: she understood what Kang De was saying.

I thought of Tina.

She said in a complicated tone, "When we met again, she was almost a different person. It was because of her experiences that she had grown up... Seeing her and understanding that she had grown up was the first time I was afraid of growing up, and the first time I wished that I could always be a child."

There was definitely fear in her eyes.

Because Tina's growth was due to experiencing Glittering Sand's betrayal, the deaths of her closest people one by one for her sake, and only then did she understand pain, understand the true nature of the world, and decide to take on more responsibility and do things she had never thought of before, things she should do.

Now, with the enemy at the gates, her loyal followers and guards who came with her to find Kang De have been forcibly conscripted by Mayor Nick and are about to be drawn into the millstone of war.

At that moment, Leona felt a deep-seated fear... She was afraid of losing those people, and she was also afraid that she would grow because of this.

Because if they die... it will undoubtedly be Leona's fault.

No child wants to grow up this way.

So Kang De, who was beside him, said, "I will do my best."

Upon hearing this, Leona suddenly looked up, staring at him blankly, speechless for a moment.

The look in his eyes was strange.

Kang De noticed the gaze and turned to ask in confusion, "What's wrong with you?"

"..."

"..."

Leona asked in a complicated tone, "I'm wondering, did you do that axe blow yesterday on purpose?"

Although the question sounded abrupt, Kang De, a man of great integrity, upright character, and without a guilty conscience, answered without hesitation, "Considering..."

After saying just a few words, Leona raised her hand, seemingly covering Kang De's mouth.

"Alright, you'd better not say anything more."

And so he met Mayor Nick in the reception room.

The mayor was drinking tea, his posture elegant, his expression dignified, his face handsome, very aristocratic. Several maids stood quietly to the side, looking at this distinguished nobleman with eyes that held no admiration or respect, but fear, and even undisguised hatred... They knew who he was.

Not to mention the figures deliberately passing by outside the window, and the merchant guild guards pacing back and forth outside making no attempt to hide their hostility. Everyone has their own stance, and the Vidal Chamber of Commerce views Nick as an enemy.

Mayor Nick arrived alone, facing hostility and malice from all sides, but calmly drank his tea.

Hearing the door open and seeing Kang De, he put down his teacup, stood up, and said with a smile, "Mr. Dong."

Kang De stepped forward and shook hands with him. "Mr. Mayor."

The attitude was neither warm nor cold.

He understood the mayor's actions, but understanding did not equate to acceptance, nor did disapproval equate to hostility or aversion. Since the other party had been polite, he would reciprocate with politeness for the time being, and see what happened next.

After sitting down facing each other, Leona naturally sat down next to Kang De, then glared at Nick.

The mayor glanced at the man and woman standing shoulder to shoulder opposite him, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes, and then said solemnly, "Mr. Dong Zhuo, regardless of the circumstances, I must sincerely thank you once again. Your decisive action prevented many casualties, and I am extremely grateful."

Kang De and Leona's expressions changed slightly at the same time.

Thankfully, they didn't call Hong San; they left him in the room to heal his wounds... Otherwise, upon hearing this, that guy would probably have felt his blood boil and become indignant once more.

Kang De coldly asked, "May I ask, whose injuries and deaths were avoided?"

The mayor said, "Naturally, it's the warriors who dare to draw their swords against the elves and fight to the death to defend their homeland."

Kang De paused for a moment, then sneered, "So, if I hadn't intervened, and the elven cavalry had charged over the wall, followed by the archers to expand their advantage, and even the mage contingent had advanced—in that situation, would the mayor have had a way to push the enemy back?"

Nick's answer remained unwavering, "Yes."

Leona sneered, "Liar, stubborn."

Kang De reached out and patted the girl's soft hand, signaling her to be quiet.

It was such a natural action that the girl obediently shut her mouth. Three seconds later, she widened her eyes and turned to look at Kang De, while Nick, who witnessed this, raised an eyebrow.

Then the mayor continued, "I have no reason to lie, nor will I dwell on what has already happened. In any case, your courageous actions prevented potential casualties, and I must thank you in person—you saved the lives of the warriors and indirectly increased the strength of the city's defenses."

Kang De looked at him for a moment, then said, "Just thanks? Since ancient times, defending a city in dire straits has relied on generous rewards and severe punishments to boost morale, divert attention from internal conflicts, unite people, and achieve great merit. Isn't there a reward?"

Mayor Nick chuckled and asked, "What would Mr. Dong like?"

Kang De asked, "Is anything acceptable?"

The mayor frankly stated, "Some of the family's land and property have already been sold, and the rest has been allocated. The treasures in the family treasury have also been given to the strong guards defending the city. There is still a lot of money and supplies left, but those are meant to reward the soldiers. I don't think Mr. Dong would be interested in those things. With such great merit, I don't know what to reward him with. Perhaps you should suggest something?"

He frankly stated, "Apart from releasing people out of the city or taking my life, neither of those is possible for the time being. As for the rest, as long as I can do it, I will definitely not refuse."

--Don't worry about it, I can still afford to spend money.

Thanks to the shiny, golden gold; it's a great item, a valuable commodity, usable in both worlds.

However, Kang De did not ask for money. He leaned forward, his expression serious, and slowly said, "How about we use this merit to relieve the Vidal Chamber of Commerce's militia of the need to defend the city?"

Leona looked at Kang De in surprise, pursed her lips, and remained silent.

Kang De simply stared at Mayor Nick across from him.

In the ensuing silence, Nick replied, "Of course. Even the combined efforts of those one or two hundred imperial scumbags wouldn't match the contribution Mr. Dong made today. If that's what you're asking for, I'm happy to oblige."

Leona was both surprised and delighted, looking at Kang De, unsure of what to say.

The eldest daughter of the Vidal Family, after all, was clear about her grudges and had strong opinions. She still didn't give Nick the slightest bit of kindness. She knew very well that all of this was not due to Nick's mercy, but to Kang De's efforts.

Kang De nodded, recalling Hong San's deathly appearance. Although he was extremely disappointed in the Heaven and Earth Society, he thought for a moment and still said, "Then..."

Before he could speak, Nick calmly said, "Even the lives of those useless trash from the Heaven and Earth Society can be handed over to Mr. Dong Zhuo. They're already terrified and utterly useless; consider them a bonus. As for the eight hundred reserve men, we won't mention them again."

Kang De showed no joy; instead, his gaze became wary.

Seeing his reaction, Nick nodded with satisfaction. "It was very pleasant to speak with Mr. Dong Zhuo. So I'll get straight to the point. Just now, on the city wall, I ordered my soldiers to collect the corpses of the elves outside the city, to desecrate and destroy them, and to hang them on the city walls. Given the arrogance and pride of the elves, they will surely slaughter the entire city after the battle. Even if the people of the Heaven and Earth Society and Earth Society and the Vidal Chamber of Commerce don't have to defend the city and can stay at home, they will still die when the city falls. That's why I'm being so generous, and I certainly won't use the lives of the Heaven and Earth Society to blackmail you."

Leona looked shocked and suddenly stood up.

Kang De pressed her down, and said calmly, "Speak plainly what you want to say."

"Even if two hundred useless men risked their lives, they couldn't outdo Mr. Dong Zhuo's contribution in a few seconds. The reason I spared the Vidal Chamber of Commerce and the Heaven and Heaven and Earth Society was to express my sincerity and extend an invitation. The upcoming battle to defend the city will require more talented people to give their all."

"Whatever you want—money, jewelry, treasures, even women, status, anything—or just to save your life, it doesn't matter."

Nick said earnestly, "I will do my best to meet all your needs, and then I beg you, and Mr. Hong San, both of you are outstanding individuals, to lend me a hand and help me defend this city!"

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PS1: Ugh, so annoying, I've been updating so late lately... I need to update earlier tomorrow!