Suit Yourselves

The elves launched a propaganda offensive throughout the day.

Flyers, bullet comments, and a group of highly skilled mages performing a magical drama on the stage of Valentan. Their effortless use of numerous spells and unique techniques showcased the elves' unparalleled magical prowess, even overshadowing the mages of Valentan.

The difference in national strength between the Duchy of Goethe and the Dusk Moon Dynasty is revealed in these subtle details.

These elves, true to their nature of scheming and plotting, came up with one wicked idea after another, and soon they discovered the most effective means of waging a propaganda war.

That's shouting.

They sent in the sentences one by one.

Moreover, their skills are improving and evolving at an extremely rapid pace.

When appealing to their emotions, it's like the gentle, beautiful whispers of a graceful fairy sister; when tempting them with benefits, it's like the resounding words of a reliable fairy hero, like a protagonist in a drama. Sometimes she persuades the soldiers to think of their families, and sometimes she makes an unshakable, solemn promise.

But what they do most often is brainwashing.

The method is simple yet effective, repeatedly using the same sentence or viewpoint.

The central idea has three main points.

Kang De is a bastard, Kang De is a bastard, Kang De is a bastard.

He will definitely abandon Valentan and run away at the last moment, sacrificing the lives of the entire city to achieve Teldrassil's strategic goals. He is a despicable stranger who doesn't care about the lives of the Goth People, launching a vile attack on the friendly elves, and even using shameful means to deceive Princess Tina.

The last sentence is particularly important.

Don't underestimate these nonsensical words. Repeated countless times, they can penetrate people's hearts. Although a lie repeated a thousand times may not become the Truth, it can definitely fool a fool.

Kang De remained in the courtyard, working on arrows and enchanting bullets, seemingly oblivious to the full-range loudspeaker drifting overhead.

Leona, however, was furious. After completing the tasks Kang De had instructed her to do, she stood with her hands on her hips and shouted curses at the outside world, taking advantage of the more than ten thousand elven women in their homes outside the city.

She turned her head, seething with hatred. "These elves, they have no shame! They didn't even try to hide it, doing such a despicable thing, I spit on them! Kang De, we can't just listen to this, we have to curse them back!"

Kang De said calmly, "It's meaningless and a waste of time. The elves can use such methods to shake the morale of the city, and we can retaliate in kind, but it won't discourage the elves outside the city in the slightest. It's just a waste of effort."

Leona glared and said, "But it feels so good!"

"I'm annoyed," Kang De said calmly. "Responding with insults isn't satisfying; it's impotent rage, it's cowardice."

Long arrows spun nimbly in his hands, manifesting as soaring Flame. His movements were fluid and meticulous, as if he paid no heed to the elves' disdainful words.

Leona gradually calmed down.

Because she knew that Kang De actually cared.

Kang De left the city in the morning, and the radio was working perfectly the whole time. Leona was worried about Kang De's safety, so she stayed by Iron Son's side and listened carefully. When she heard Kang De say "sleep with your mother" and "call me wild dad," she almost popped her eyes out. She never thought that such a big-eyed guy like Kang De was a high-class person just like her.

She was even somewhat relieved that Kang De's manners weren't high enough, so that when she, Miss Leona, hurled insults at him, Kang De didn't seriously retort. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to win a fight or a verbal exchange, which would have been incredibly embarrassing.

So when faced with this situation, Kang De should have responded with a fierce and brilliant tirade, a tirade that would change the very fabric of the world, eclipse the sun and moon, and fill the sky with elven mothers.

But no.

Leona finally understood why.

The reason Kang De remained calm and even refrained from uttering harsh words was because he had taken this matter seriously as a disgrace and a source of hatred, and he intended to retaliate with the most cruel, ruthless, and merciless means.

Since you've made this decision, swearing would be beneath you.

The calmer one appears, the more intense the anger within, and the more ruthless the response one brews.

--Leona suddenly felt a chill.

Clearly, she felt that the Kang De who used foul language was more acceptable, while the Kang De of today, serious and calm, composed and collected, frightened her.

Because she didn't know what was hidden beneath that calm exterior.

The girl, trying to make conversation, looked up at the colorful bullet screen of images floating in the air and chuckled dryly, "Putting everything else aside, these dogs... these pointy ears, they've got quite a few tricks up their sleeves."

Unexpectedly, Kang De looked up, gave her a serious look, and nodded, saying, "You noticed it too? I also think the elven mages' performance was far too cheerful and relaxed."

Leona was startled, then horrified.

The elves' propaganda war continues, but the formal siege has yet to begin.

No major war broke out, but Valentan faced even greater pressure than before. This is because human nature is superficial and complex, and the pressure of war can be conveyed in many ways. The pressure exerted on the city's inhabitants by a brutal siege is sometimes less than the pressure of shouting magical slogans all over the sky...

The city officials' ineffective propaganda efforts exacerbated the situation. Even Nick had no good solutions to the elves' propaganda strategy. If they were to plunder leaflets from every household and even punish them, it would almost directly shake the foundations of the city.

Everyone knew that the city couldn't hold out for long, and the only hope and effort of those in the know was to defend the city and save everyone's lives before the Gladiolus Legion arrived.

Night fell in this oppressive and negative atmosphere.

The elves... have finally begun their siege.

As the howling crimson magic streaked across the sky and illuminated the night, a violent explosion followed, thunder roared, lightning flashed across the earth, and rolling dark clouds echoed. Then the earth began to tremble slightly, and a series of explosions came from the direction of the city walls, followed by faint shouts of battle.

Kang De was busy in the courtyard. Upon hearing this, he paused for a moment, then calmly finished enchanting the arrows in his hands, neatly arranged them, and then stood up.

The upcoming battle will determine many things.

It will also determine whether many, many people will see tomorrow's sunrise.

He saw the Autobots stand up, leaning against the wall; he saw Hong San walk out carrying a gun and shield; he also saw the tears welling up in Leona's eyes. Just thinking about it, he knew that this domineering, foul-mouthed, rich young lady was definitely not a sentimental crybaby. But people always change.

If a person claims to be without compassion, it is because he has never witnessed war firsthand.

He said to Leona, "Don't cry."

Leona said in a suppressed voice, "Don't be reckless."

Kang De shouted, "Kan Fantian!"

The thumping sound grew louder as the green-skinned figure scaled the high wall, landed on his feet, and pounded his chest, shouting, "Big Mek, who are we going to chop up!"

Kang De said, "You all stay here, don't eat, everyone put on armor and be on guard, hold this place, obey this woman's orders, whoever she tells you to kill, you kill! Whoever comes to kill her, you kill!"

To be honest, although Kan Fantian has had plenty of food and drink these past two days, the novelty has worn off and it's getting rather boring. Green-skinned creatures have a combative nature flowing in their blood, and they're desperately craving a fight. It's a shame that Big Mek only uses them as manure-producing machines, and now he's making them guard the house...

So it complained somewhat, "We want to fight! We want to waaaagh..."

It was robust, muscular, and enormous, while Kang De was only of normal height. In comparison, Kang De appeared quite small. Kang De didn't speak, but just stared at him.

A moment later, Kan Fantian, trembling and scrambling, ran away in a panic, crying, "Okay! Okay! We'll listen to this little shrimp! Don't look at me like that! I'm scared!"

The Humvee started up and sped down the street, its two headlights illuminating the darkness and causing pedestrians to give way. Iron Son said, "Father, the fear that Kan Fantian felt was genuine. It was as if being looked down upon by you was an unbearable weight in his life. I could even feel that the strange energy within it had dimmed because of your gaze and displeasure... Your relationship with these greens is truly strange and indescribable."

Kang De said calmly, "Is that so?"

On the verge of battle, with a formidable enemy at hand and fierce fighting inevitable, the future uncertain and unknown, Kang De had a good habit, a good habit he developed on a desert island: if something was irrelevant to the present moment, he would not think about it, but prioritize solving the task at hand, and think only about one thing.

So what exactly was his relationship with the Greenskins, and whether all Greenskin tribes accepted him... These were not things he cared too much about at the moment.

Nick believed that Kang De could persuade the orcs to march south to aid Goth, and considered the matter very important. Kang De disagreed. Even if the orcs were to march south, it would require a significant amount of time for travel, persuasion, and understanding the situation. What Kang De lacked was time. If he had plenty of time, he wouldn't need to find any orcs; he could simply fly to Africa. Even if he couldn't buy a house, he could just rob them.

"Focus on what's in front of you," he said. "Do your best, but don't overexert yourself."

Hong San, who had been sitting silently in the passenger seat, finally spoke up, "Master, you must be extremely careful. Nighttime is not like daytime. When your weapon is unleashed, the flashes of light and the explosions are deafening. It's conspicuous even during the day, let alone at night. Now, the elves see you as a thorn in their side. Beware of hidden arrows and ambushes."

Kang De nodded and said, "I understand."

The Humvee arrived at the western city wall. The elf seemed determined to challenge this side of the wall, perhaps because he had suffered repeated defeats here and was determined to regain his pride.

After getting off the train, Kang De listened to the shouts of battle coming from the city walls and murmured, "A night battle, huh?"

In ancient Earth, night battles were generally avoided due to issues like night blindness and lack of organization. However, this doesn't seem to be an issue in this other world. In terms of training and soldier quality, the elven army is approaching modern standards. With abundant species in the great forests and racial advantages, the elven army probably doesn't suffer from night blindness either... They can attack like a whirlwind, just like during the day.

Due to the inferior quality of their soldiers, the humans had no choice but to light braziers and set up fires. The mages cast Illumination Spell from the sky, and clusters of light rose from the sky and fell at an extremely slow speed, illuminating the earth like moonlight and reflecting the situation on the battlefield. However, they were still at a disadvantage.

"Yes, night battle."

Hong San approached Kang De and slowly said, "Night battles, whether clever tactics or unavoidable circumstances, are never a good strategy, and the same applies to the elves. Night is night, after all, unlike daytime. There is no army in this world accustomed to fighting at night, at least not the elves. They are used to fighting during the day, and night battles are a burden for them as well."

He and Kang De quickly ascended the steps and reached the city wall. As they walked, he whispered, "Elves have burdens, but humans have even greater burdens. Night battles put elves at a disadvantage of three, but humans are at least ten!"

"Therefore, the elves chose to launch their attack at night. Night battles cause greater casualties than daytime battles, and they put more pressure and fear on the soldiers involved. This is precisely the elves' objective!"

"They don't care about casualties, as long as more humans die!"

The more deaths and the greater the pressure, the more the gains from the daytime propaganda war can be allowed to ferment further.

It turned this city into a melting pot of fear, doubt, betrayal, and resentment.

Kang De calmly replied, "Then let them die as many as possible."

He gestured to the Iron Son below the city, and the Autobots roared in response.

A patrol team was on duty on the city wall. Upon seeing the two men, they immediately shouted, "Show your identification!"

After he shouted, the soldier finally saw the faces of the two men in the firelight. They were two Cathayan, and one of them had short hair. Their clothing and weapons were also different from others, making their identities obvious.

The supervising officer should have saluted immediately. If he had seen him last night, he would have saluted without hesitation and expressed his gratitude and respect. People respect the strong, and in this situation, they admire heroes even more.

But now...

The soldier suddenly remembered the barrage of information he'd been receiving all day. While rationally speaking, the elves' intention to sow discord was obvious, however...

His hesitation, along with the unfamiliarity and even wariness he displayed, naturally revealed himself.

Kang De merely gave a faint smile, but Hong San suddenly flew into a rage. "Soldier! Your name!"

Before he could finish speaking, Kang De grabbed Hong San's head and pushed him aside. "Alright, what's wrong with you? Haven't you ever seen an ingrate? You have the nerve to get angry."

Hong San's expression stiffened. He knew Kang De was mocking him by bringing up the Heaven and Earth Society, which he could say nothing about. But the Cathayan was still indignant. "Sir, this is different..."

Kang De walked past the bewildered supervising officer, casually patted him on the shoulder, and said without turning his head, "Think about it, brother, but don't stab me in the back, or I'll chop your whole family to pieces and feed them to the dogs."

This area had not yet been visited by the elves, and the soldiers were on high alert. When they heard the commotion and saw Kang De, they were all filled with mixed feelings and even looked rather awkward, unsure of what to say.

We won't see the same kind of cheering and adoration we saw yesterday.

In an eerie silence and under the watchful eyes of the enemy, Kang De arrived at a battlement.

"Are you fighting for Teldrassil? Why are you standing here? Do you believe the elves?"

His voice was calm and unwavering. "I have nothing to say, I'll just say one thing: I've come here, and in the past, yesterday, today, and tomorrow, in this city, I've only done one thing, and that is to protect Valentan, to protect the people here..."

He drew both pistols, pulled the trigger, and fired a barrage of bullets.

"I'll kill first, you can do as you please."

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PS1: Ugh, so boring. I want to go on a trip. Where's a cool place to go...?