Elves, Elves

Some elusive sense of danger prompted Kang De to put that bold idea aside for the time being.

At his home in the valley, the knight received a warm and attentive welcome.

"Would you like some black tea?"

Kang De held a bottle of Master Kang iced black tea, smiling.

"...Thank you, but water will do."

Knight Cleveland practiced an austere way of life. Both tea and alcohol would affect the purity of his body and spirit.

Kang De thought for a moment and fetched him a bottle of Ganten mineral water.

"Thank you." The knight was briefly surprised by the transparent, lightweight material of the bottle, but showed no sign of shock. Kang De was a little disappointed.

After all, as a civilized person from modern society, whatever his personality, he was bound to feel superior when faced with a "native." Besides, he had read so many novels and had really been looking forward to a scene where he could show off.

Look at this mineral water bottle. It's transparent, lightweight, and made of a strange material. Aren't you amazed? Do you think it's some priceless treasure? Sorry, but that stuff is everywhere back home.

That was more or less what he had been thinking.

He thought it over, still a little unwilling to give up, and asked, "You don't see things like this where you're from, do you?"

"It would be more accurate to say I've never seen one."

The knight answered frankly, showing no embarrassment at his lack of knowledge. He studied the water bottle in his hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "Cathay's wealth is truly unexpected. If I'm not mistaken, this water is specially supplied to nobles for long journeys or military campaigns, isn't it?"

Kang De frowned. "Huh?"

"The goods nobles favor must be magnificent, but they must also have substance: a history built up over time, understated luxury. This bottle is light as a feather and doesn't feel like a treasure. I doubt it's something nobles use every day."

"Commoners couldn't afford it, nor would they have any need for it. Drinking water is available everywhere, so why go to the trouble?"

"Thinking it over, there's only one use for it. Its shape makes it easy to store and carry, so it must have been prepared in large quantities specifically for an important person like yourself. This is, after all, a deserted island far from civilization."

As he analyzed it, the knight copied Kang De and unscrewed the cap. He examined the threads on it and said in surprise, "This design... is quite ingenious, and it has many applications. Ordinary but subtle details like this are a better reflection of true strength. It seems Cathay's development over the years has surpassed our expectations."

"..." Kang De stared at the knight, utterly baffled.

The knight took a sip of water from the bottle with a graceful motion. His expression changed slightly, but he immediately swallowed it without further reaction and gave Kang De an elegant smile.

What was that look just now? Did you think it tasted bad? Do you have a problem with Ganten that costs several yuan a bottle? Does the water in your other world taste that good? You think having magic makes you so great?

"Your life is truly austere. Though you enjoy privileges, you still keep your material desires and pleasures to a minimum. It's truly admirable."

Admiration and approval actually appeared on the knight's face. "I've heard Cathay has a proverb: using magnificent tableware is a necessary display of dignity and respectability, but eating coarse, poor-quality rice from magnificent tableware is a lofty virtue cultivated through effort. It must refer to people like you."

His compliment was entirely sincere.

Austere, my ass! Even I sometimes think, "Isn't my life as a transmigrator a bit too comfortable?" when I've stuffed myself with greasy food at night and am lying on my sandalwood bed, ready to sleep after playing my fill of games!

And did you just look down on me, you bastard? You definitely meant it that way, didn't you?

His plan to feel superior and show off to someone from another world had suffered a subtle failure.

How to put it...

It was roughly like "punching a wad of cotton, but still hurting the person behind it with the surge of killing intent, and earning their sincere admiration for entirely the wrong reason."

Also... Cathay.

This knight had mentioned "Cathay" many times.

Along the way, Kang De had probed indirectly and already had a rough idea.

This world probably also had a country of yellow-skinned people resembling ancient China, with black hair and black eyes, and a civilization entirely different from the West's. The two continents were separated by vast oceans and had not seen large-scale exchanges in several hundred years.

These people have taken me for someone from Cathay... that's fine.

It's safer than having them think I'm from another world...

The East?

A trace of longing and curiosity arose in his heart.

There was such a thing as cultural identity. Although both the "continent" and "Cathay" the knight spoke of were countries and civilizations entirely unfamiliar to him, the latter still felt closer to him. After all, they shared the same appearance and seemingly similar cultures, perhaps even... languages.

I transmigrated to the wrong place. I'm an Easterner, so how did I end up in the territory of a Western fantasy civilization?

Kang De continued asking questions without betraying his thoughts.

The knight and his companions came from a duchy called Goth, a human nation. There were quite a few duchies on the continent. They were nominally vassals of the human empire, enjoyed a high degree of autonomy, and together formed a loose human commonwealth.

They had drifted here because they had encountered the elven navy and fled here for refuge.

Kang De frowned. Didn't that mean these people would bring their formidable enemies down on them?

And... elves?

Kang De, who had been bombarded with information on the internet, perked up.

Pointed ears, unparalleled beauty, a peaceful nature, a love of art, and an affinity for nature.

They were practically the star race of Western fantasy.

Back in those days, a Western fantasy protagonist could hardly bear to greet anyone if he didn't have an elven fuck buddy. There were also plenty of variants, such as dark elves who holed up underground and were slutty, wanton, devious, and nasty, and toilet elves who gathered all day to smoke weed and hold orgies, and so on and so forth.

So how had these Goth People ended up at odds with the elves?

Based on his preconceptions from his previous life, Kang De gave Knight Cleveland a critical look. You little bastard, you must go into the forest every day to capture elves and bring them back to use as cum dumps.

How depraved. How shameful.

The knight's expression turned awkward. "...Mr. Kang De, is something the matter?"

"As you know, I don't know much about the Western world."

Kang De spoke slowly. "So I'm very curious why your country is in conflict with the elves. In other words... do you capture elves for the slave trade?"

If that were true, his opinion of these Goth People would fall considerably.

No matter what race was enslaved, slavery was slavery, and human traffickers were human traffickers. As a modern man, he could not accept such conduct at all.

The knight was taken aback at first, then shook his head with a wry smile. "You truly don't know much about the situation on the continent... Although the slave trade has yet to be abolished there, almost no one dares trade in elves."

Kang De asked in surprise, "Why?"

Cleveland said, "Several hundred years ago, the Dusk Moon Dynasty announced to the continent that any act of capturing and enslaving elves would be regarded as an act of war. If an individual enslaves an elf, they kill that individual. If an organization enslaves elves, they raze it to the ground. If a family enslaves elves, they slaughter all its immediate members. If a nation enslaves elves, they destroy it."

"..." Kang De exclaimed, "They're that bold?"

The knight did not answer.

The Dusk Moon Dynasty was at the height of its power, and elven power reached across the entire continent. Military deterrence, economic penetration, cultural invasion, colonial expansion—the pointed-eared folk were simply too domineering.

"Damn impressive. Damn impressive."

Kang De nodded. "Protecting every one of its subjects in such an extremely overbearing way, and still not having the whole world declare war on it and wipe it out... This Dusk Moon Dynasty really knows what it's doing."

Hearing the Cathayan praise an enemy nation, the knight could hardly hold back.

"Sir, you're mistaken."

He said, "The larger a nation is, the less it cares what ordinary people think. The elven empress and her royal ministers care about annual tax revenue, growth in their share of trade exports, how many new capital ships have entered service, and what new breakthroughs have been made in magitech. The one thing they don't care about is whether one of their people of ordinary blood and humble birth is being enslaved and abused by another race in some corner of the continent."

Kang De was surprised. "But didn't they announce that they would protect every subject...?"

"Allow me to point out, sir, that it isn't a declaration of protection. It's a pretext for war."

Knight Cleveland said, "The elves have cultivated this declaration for several hundred years, until it became deeply ingrained, until everyone on the continent believed that the elves would launch a massive war over the enslavement of a single subject. That way, when the elves declare war on those grounds, they occupy the moral high ground, and public opinion across the continent regards it as only natural."

A trace of mockery appeared on his face.

"So the Dusk Moon Dynasty doesn't care whether ordinary subjects are enslaved. As long as it doesn't become a major incident, it might even turn a blind eye. But when a faction or nation enslaving elves becomes the next target in the elves' expansion strategy, all its crimes will suddenly be made public. They'll become evidence in the impassioned speeches of the parliament's members and a justification for the Dusk Moon Dynasty's war."

The knight captain said coldly, "And according to rumors, the Dusk Moon Dynasty's military intelligence agency even sends out trained, beautiful spies, ordering them to become the captive plaything of a noble or faction leader through some wonderful coincidence, and to let themselves be abused and enslaved. Then, when preparations for war are complete, this poor slave is rescued by her righteous kin and stands in the Full Moon Hall, showing everyone in the Dusk Moon Parliament her scars and pain as she makes an accusation filled with blood and tears."

"..."

Fuck.

Kang De felt his worldview had been shaken.

These are fucking... elves?

The transmigrator murmured, "They're a little different from the elves I remember..."

The knight asked curiously, "Remember... What are the elves you remember like?"

They lived in forests, were exceptionally beautiful, and often appeared alongside orcs in various works of fantasy. In recent years, their top-and-bottom relationship with the greenskins had undergone a revolutionary reversal.

A whole pile of doujin flashed through Kang De's mind.

If I showed this guy what's on my laptop, how would this solemn knight react? Would he die laughing in the street, or start jerking off on the spot?

Kang De suddenly thought of something.

"...Forgive me for asking, but the elves who drove you here won't come after you, will they?"

He asked cautiously.

To be honest, he had no real ties to these Goth People and had no desire to get dragged into this kind of war and bloodshed for no reason. You've got to be kidding. Come to another world and help the natives fight? What am I, crazy?

"Rest assured."

Cleveland said instinctively, "The elves regard the Holy Seal Archipelago as a forbidden place. It's taboo to their entire race. Even if you killed them, they would never dare come near here. I..."

At that point, he suddenly realized something. His expression changed, and he clapped a hand over his mouth with a smack.

It sounded painful.

"..." Kang De looked at him. "What's wrong?"

The knight's eyes showed anxiety and unease. Like a child who had gotten into trouble, he shook his head.

Kang De grew even more puzzled. "...What exactly is wrong?"

The knight hesitated for a moment, but shook his head again.

Kang De's expression slowly darkened. "Mr. Cleveland, your strange behavior is making me uneasy. I hope you'll clear this up for me. It would be better if we were frank with each other."

The knight's gaze wavered intensely as he struggled with himself. After a long while, he slowly lowered his hand and said quietly, "Mr. Kang De, you're from Cathay. I've heard that Cathay's mastery of the mysterious arts surpasses the continent's in certain fields. So may I ask, have you heard of certain strange phenomena? The kind where, well..."

He hesitated and stammered, "If someone makes a well-reasoned prediction, but the outcome often turns out to be the exact opposite of what they deduced... Have you heard of that phenomenon?"

Kang De said instinctively, "Isn't that a jinx?"

"...A j-jinx?"

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PS1: Fuck, I was going to start writing early today, but the people upstairs started renovating again. The drill was buzzing nonstop and making everything shake. It was so noisy I couldn't think at all. And the thing is, how fucking long have they been renovating? Every few days they spend a whole day drilling. Fuck, will it ever end...

PS2: Nearly four thousand characters again... Everyone, remember to vote... (flops)