A Promise to My Lord, Kept for Life

With the siege of Valentan lifted and all six legions annihilated, it was a miraculous victory.

In the elves' grand strategy of conquering Goth, a large military vacuum suddenly appeared in the entire Eastern Theater. The annihilation of the six Royal Dragon Banner Warband will have a far-reaching impact, not only affecting the situation of this war and the official positions of many elves... but also having a deeper impact.

But all of this needs time to develop.

In the short term, this meant that Valentan and many cities to its north would no longer be threatened by the Elven army, and tens of thousands of people would no longer have to die or be displaced.

Many, many people died, but many more survived.

Although life cannot be measured in numbers, it is still a victory in the end.

The end of the battle does not mean the end of everything. There is still much to be done. In the short term, the restoration of order in Valentan, the treatment of the wounded, the collection of the dead, as well as the prevention of disease, food supply, patrols, security, various statistics, and many other things require a lot of manpower and time.

After the bloody battle, only one-tenth of Valentan's elite class remained, and experienced municipal officials also suffered heavy casualties. The nobility was almost completely wiped out, the granaries were burned down, nearly half of the buildings in the city collapsed or were destroyed, the wounded were everywhere and in urgent need of treatment, and corpses were scattered all over the place.

There was a lack of administrative officials, a lack of supplies and provisions, a lack of medicine and clothing—everything was lacking.

A Xing's mercenary group can be responsible for some of the security, guard, and even medical work. Some of the members are of noble birth and have received a good education, so they can also assist in administration.

I learned after asking around that A Xing's henchmen were a mixed bag, including gladiators who had gained their freedom, slaves who had rebelled against their masters, people from a fallen nation, and illegitimate children of nobles from the empire and those without inheritance rights. Their backgrounds were extremely complex, and they followed A Xing for various reasons, with quite a few harboring selfish motives.

Kang De certainly wouldn't easily trust them, but the good thing is that, regardless of their background or how arrogant they were, no one dared to look him in the eye anymore.

Might makes right, it truly is a great era.

However, the issue of supplies was beyond the capabilities of mercenary groups. While Kang De could retrieve supplies from the White Mist World, it was merely a drop in the ocean for tens of thousands of people, and he hadn't bought a house near the granary.

But that's okay, Goth was a nation.

Carrying messages and evidence, small teams headed towards Valentan, a major city north of Valentin, to deliver the news to officials there and spread it as quickly as possible to Goth's capital and the world.

--In fact, Kang De had considered keeping the news secret for the time being to give himself more time to react, but then he thought that it was impossible to keep it a secret. A Xing's mercenary group was a mixed bag, and there might be spies from the Empire among them. Since Goth started the war with the Elves, there must have been many military observers and intelligence agents from various countries and races on this land. Moreover, the Elves must also have legion-level rapid communication capabilities.

They must be terrified and will use every means to get the news back home.

Therefore, concealing it is pointless and will only make you look cowardly and timid, which could easily lead the enemy to make the wrong judgment that "this guy can't fire a second shot".

In that case, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands more will die. What a tragedy!

Kunke City, Tanyin City, Red Creek Valley.

When Nick tricked Kang De by saying that the Gladiolus Legion was coming to their aid, he claimed that the reinforcements from these three cities were also part of the Hunt for Dusk Warband's forces. Now that the truth has come out, the Gladiolus Legion has returned to Goth capital. Before their departure, the second son of the Grand Duke Landisidun, secretly met with Nick and pleaded with him to hold Valentan for a few days to buy time and slow down the elven army's northward advance. These three cities likely have the same mission.

When the messenger arrived, the three cities were under martial law. The brave people had been mobilized and were prepared to resist the invasion and perish with their cities, just like Valentan had been.

But when the messenger from Valentan arrived, people thought he was bringing devastating news of the city's fall and the loss of its inhabitants. No words could describe the mayors' feelings: shock, joy, disbelief, as if in a dream, and a deep sense of disbelief and doubt.

If I had to describe it, it would be like the world being pleasantly surprised to see that the Gentleman's E website had been quietly rebuilt, only to discover that the big spender who donated one million dollars was not that lying Dutch scoundrel, but rather the former richest man in the world, Bill Gates, and it even went through his foundation's account.

... That's certainly not true.

But the absurdity of it is comparable to one person taking down all six of the Elf Dragon Banner Warband.

No Goth People a normal IQ would believe it.

The mayors even suspected that this was a ploy by the elves to lure them in, but they had to admit that even the most foolish elven general wouldn't fabricate such an outrageous story to deceive people. Besides, the messengers were carrying electronic players that showed the horrific scene of the collision.

Like hell itself, the mountains and rivers were shattered, and miniature craters appeared on the surface. Silvery-white metal melted and splashed before solidifying again, blood seeped into the earth, and everywhere were torn corpses and broken armor, as well as many other things whose original forms were unrecognizable.

This place seemed to have witnessed an earth-shattering magical battle, like an ancient battlefield of gods, with only shattered banners and armor patterns remaining to prove the identity of this annihilated army.

The mayors, half-believing and half-doubting, sent out a reconnaissance team to confirm it with their own eyes. They were incredibly uneasy, but also filled with indescribable excitement and anticipation. If it were true, that would be wonderful.

The reconnaissance troops, prepared to sacrifice themselves, arrived in Valentan at top speed, heading towards the apocalyptic battlefield without even entering the city.

Then they rushed back like madmen.

Because they witnessed that scene with their own eyes; it was entirely real, without any falsehood.

The six Elven Dragon Banner Warband that marched north have indeed been wiped out.

The man who orchestrated all of this was Kang De, Princess Tina's husband.

The accompanying mages, finding the journey too slow, even wrote their wills and used wind magic to glide long distances to reach their respective cities.

Then the mayors went mad, and the nobles went mad too.

The messengers' reports were incredibly detailed and logically consistent. No matter how absurd they seemed, the facts were the facts. They had personally witnessed the crater formed by the horrific impact, saw countless horribly mutilated elves lying among them, and even retrieved fragments of broken armor. There was no way anyone could doubt them.

They also saw many figures loitering around, some of whom were local farmers and vagrants who had dared to come and see. They were all kneeling on the ground praying. It all seemed like a miracle.

There were also many more furtive figures, whose motives were unknown.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the dozen or so green-skinned people.

These orcs kept howling, pounding their chests, and wailing as if their own mothers had died inside, speaking in a language no one could understand.

The mayors and nobles of those three cities finally began to believe.

The first convoy, laden with medicine and food, has set off, accompanied by some shrewd and opportunistic nobles, officials, and even merchants, some of whom have even brought their daughters.

These people are inherently suspicious and only believe what they see with their own eyes. If this matter is indeed true, then why not go and make a good impression on His Highness Kang De now?

As expected, the number of Valentan's admirers is skyrocketing.

However, their requests to see His Highness Kang De were all refused without exception, and all their gifts were returned.

No one harbored any resentment; rather, they took it for granted. After witnessing the terrifying wonders of the earth firsthand, no one would consider Kang De a human being. Sending someone to say that he was in a bad mood or busy with other matters was already a great favor.

Far from being angry, they were worried. They had previously felt resentful and hostile towards Princess Tina's statement and harbored a sense of unease towards the Cathayan Kang De, whom they had never met. Now, everything had been reversed.

They even worried that Princess Tina was not good enough for Kang De.

Regardless, they all stayed. Officials began to work diligently and personally, nobles took the initiative to compile lists of deceased families and collect statistics, and merchants began to mobilize resources to provide support regardless of cost, all free of charge. Everyone put in their utmost effort without any favoritism.

Such clean and efficient administration was built on the intimidation of one person's military power.

Supplies kept arriving, and news kept coming back. The mayors also spread this earth-shattering news far and wide through their respective intelligence channels. After making all the arrangements, they set off for Valentan, after all, they had to see it for themselves and then pay their respects to His Highness Kang De.

Kang De finally met with the three of them. After all, they were Nick's colleagues, and most likely had agreed to the demand to defend the city to the death, so it was good to see them.

The mayors used the highest honors due to the heir of the Taidariel Family, a decision they had made beforehand. After all, Kang De was theoretically Tina's husband; otherwise, they wouldn't know what kind of etiquette to show to this peerless powerhouse who was destined to become famous throughout the continent.

The meeting went smoothly. In fact, meetings are usually smooth and pleasant when one party is extremely humble and submissive.

"In a few days, the entire continent will be in an uproar..."

In the warm and comfortable tea room, Kang De drank cola and ate potato chips. After that day, he stopped eating otherworldly food until a completely reliable follower system was established.

Even the food prepared by the maids of the Vidal Chamber of Commerce is not to be eaten.

The suggestion was made by Leona herself.

Sitting opposite her, Eldest Miss Vidar held an exquisite teacup, took a sip of iced cola, and a fleeting look of satisfaction crossed her face before it turned cold again.

The silver-haired girl is still angry, very angry.

After the five legions were destroyed, Kang De confirmed two things in the city and set off as quickly as possible to bring Leona and her party back.

They were far from Valentan, and they hadn't seen the Star of the Firmament, nor did they know what had happened. But none of that mattered to Leona. She didn't care what Kang De had done or whether he could protect Valentan; she just wanted Kang De to be safe and sound.

So when she saw the familiar alchemical chariot speeding towards her, and saw Kang De step out of the chariot unharmed with a smile, the young girl's heart was filled with immense joy and sweetness. She almost abandoned all pretense and embraced Kang De passionately in public, kissing him passionately. All her worries had turned into affection.

... until a tall, large red-haired woman came down from the other side, then, as if no one else was around, hugged Kang De from behind, rested her chin on his shoulder, and stared at him with a "who are you?" look on her face.

"Who... who is she?!"

In short, it took Kang De several explanations before Leona, who was almost jumping up and down in anger, finally believed the fact that this woman was Kang De's best friend and, just a month or two ago, was a gorilla.

"Who are you trying to fool?!"

Although she said it that way, Leona slowly began to believe it, because after a short period of confrontation and interaction, she discovered that the red-haired woman... might indeed be a gorilla.

She felt a mix of bitterness and unease. The kiss and confession she had made were the culmination of emotions that had been building up after a night of terror and the sight of Kang De facing certain death. Now that everything had settled down, and with such a miraculous victory, and with A Xing suddenly interfering, the young woman's heart began to waver again.

A moment of silence fell over the room.

No one mentioned Leona's aggressive confession and pronouncements that day.

Even Leona herself doesn't want to mention it.

Kang De had previously only garnered some attention from various countries because of the Glittering Sand Town incident and his status as Tina's husband. Although he demonstrated extraordinary talent, he did not achieve a corresponding reputation and status.

But now, everything is different.

Leona sighed softly, "Actually... I want to go home."

Kang De paused, then said softly, "Can't we stay a little longer?"

The girl looked at him and asked, "Why? Is there any reason for you to keep me here?"

Kang De lowered his eyes and said calmly, "Because in this city, there are very few people who can treat me with normalcy anymore; only you remain the same as before."

Leona was stunned, and for a moment, she didn't even know whether she should be happy or not.

After a moment, she sighed in frustration, "Fine, fine, damn it, I'm a businesswoman. If I leave now, it'll be a disgrace to the Vidal Family..."

She deliberately emphasized the word "businesswoman," as if it were just a business transaction.

Kang De smiled slightly; he understood.

The girl snorted, "Then I'll reluctantly be your advisor. That gorilla doesn't know anything, right? You can't trust anyone else, so I'm the only one you can trust..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and the mercenary medic entered, bowed to the two men, and then whispered a few words in Kang De's ear.

Kang De immediately jumped up and said to Leona, "We'll talk about it when we get back."

He left quickly.

After the two left, Leona slammed her head on the table with a thud. The girl remained in that position, muttering in a frantic voice, "That was fucking amazing..."

Kang De and the physician hurried through the corridor to another building, where people along the way bowed their heads and gave way.

Once inside, in the corridor, several members of the Heaven and Earth Society, carrying fruit, timidly peered into a certain room. Suddenly, they saw Kang De approaching, and they were so frightened that they all knelt down on the ground.

Kang De didn't even look at it, walked straight over, and pushed open the door.

A person sat on the bed, gazing blankly at the warm light outside the window.

Hearing the noise, they turned their heads and met each other's gaze.

Overwhelmed with emotions in that instant.

Kang De walked over, glanced at him a few times, and said, "It's good that you're not dead. I'm leaving. Take care of yourself."

He turned to leave after saying that.

A noise came from behind him, and the man rolled out of bed. "Master..."

Kang De turned around, helped him up as he nearly fell, and then smiled broadly, "Just kidding—it seems not all of my friends met with bad ends."

He said calmly, "Well done."

The person paused, then tears began to fall, one by one.

After a moment, he said softly, "I, Hong San, am willing to serve Your Highness by holding your horse's stirrups and following you at your side."

Kang De remained noncommittal. "In what capacity?"

Hong San paused for a moment, then looked directly into Kang De's eyes, his back no longer hunched, his voice no longer hesitant, and his gaze no longer evasive.

His voice was clear and powerful.

"Retainer."

Kang De laughed, "I couldn't ask for more."

Hong San also laughed, took a step back, and faced Kang De.

He simply bowed.

I have kept my promise to you for the rest of my life, and will never kneel again.

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Damn, there's still so much to write after this fun, I don't know where to start. I'll take a break and plan it out tomorrow. Goodnight.