Big Goldie and Little Dwarf

Five days after the end of the Battle of Valentan, the sky was clear, the white clouds were dispersed by the mages, and the blue sky stretched to the horizon. Today must be a sunny day.

In accordance with His Highness Kang De's instructions, the Valentan Provisional Government purchased and consolidated a large amount of land to centrally bury the remains of those who died in the Battle of Valentan. This vast cemetery, centered on the family cemetery of the Valentan Family, was redeveloped and integrated into a public cemetery to commemorate those who died in the battle.

Following His Highness Kang De's instructions, the Valentan Family cemetery was renamed the Valentan National Cemetery.

The two Valentan originally had different meanings.

But the sacrifices and dedication of Nick Valentan, Preston Valentan, and others have reunited these two names, giving them a new spirit.

Today is the inauguration ceremony of the cemetery, but it's just the beginning.

Burying the deceased is a long-term process, and the body of the deceased will be buried solemnly and in an orderly manner.

Whether nobles, warriors, or commoners, brave or cowardly, they will all be buried here as a unified whole of the Valentan People, treated equally, and rest in peace together.

This is also what Kang De meant.

Soldiers, youth soldiers, aristocratic private armies, and even conscripted troops—all those who bravely fought and faced death—would receive generous compensation for their families and clansmen, which is only natural. However, for this city, the deaths that occurred during those days were a shared tragedy, and there's no need to make such a clear distinction.

If Nick were alive today, he would surely agree with this.

Thus, the order was carried out without any hindrance.

As Hong San said, Kang De is now like a god in Valentan, even possessing more prestige and influence than Archduke Goth, and no one would disagree with him on this issue.

At the same time, this ritual also has another meaning.

Kang De will attend the ceremony and deliver a speech.

This was his first public appearance since the Battle of Valentan.

Everyone knows that this speech will convey the views and thoughts of this Cathayan to the outside world, and will most directly reflect the political leanings and philosophy of this rising star of the world. This will not only affect the course of this great war, but may even have a profound impact on the future world situation.

A humanoid nuclear bomb—truly terrifying.

People with their own plans were all clearly aware of this.

So when Hong San made the statement on Valentan Provisional Government, all sorts of information were disseminated at the fastest speed. Representatives and envoys from all sides rushed to Valentan, and all sorts of faces began to appear near the city. Spy spies were everywhere, and undercurrents were surging. As for the nobles and social figures of the surrounding cities, they brought their families and came out in full force. The noble figures did not even mind setting up camp outside the city.

Although the war was not yet over, Valentan had undoubtedly become the safest place in all of Goth.

More than comfort, they were focused on Kang De's first appearance and sensed an opportunity to determine what they and their families could gain and do from it.

Early this morning, even before dawn, many people woke up and quietly set off for the cemetery to mourn and pray with the utmost respect and piety, although the vast majority of them were from out of town.

Being first is an opportunity for the ambitious; being late is a privilege of those in power.

Kang De didn't wake up until dawn. He sat up, stretched, and turned to look at the black cloak hanging on the coat rack.

Funeral attire: Goth wore black, Cathay wore white. Similar to Earth, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, so of course we should wear black.

However, due to his nationalist sentiments, Kang De did not want to wear a suit on this occasion, after all, it was his first time appearing in front of the world. But he also did not want to wear Goth's traditional mourning clothes, because he did not want to play the trick of "today we are all Goth People". So he dug out this cloak from his home.

It wasn't ancient costume, but so-called Hanfu. Back then, Old Wang was obsessed with ancient style for a while. He learned sewing from Kang De's mother for a period of time, and then bought fabrics himself. He referred to various historical materials and fantasy collections, and spent several months making two sets of clothes.

She wore one set of women's clothing herself and gave the other set of men's clothing to Kang De as a gift. The clothes were very comfortable and looked good, but they were actually very inconvenient for daily activities. Going to the toilet, climbing stairs, and eating outside were all nightmares.

Later, however, he was completely relegated to obscurity.

Once, I went to a comic convention with Xiaoman, and I was wearing that outfit. As a result, I encountered Hanfu police. Several women surrounded Old Wang and looked me up and down with scrutiny and disdain. They said things that were incomprehensible, such as the style was wrong, the hairstyle was wrong, the shoes were wrong, it was a studio outfit, it looked like a pangolin, and so on. They were practically sentencing me on the spot.

Old Wang, a woman of great courage, initially explained and listened politely, but then she uttered a loud "Get lost!" in a powerful voice, and the sarcasm turned into a quarrel, even escalating into a physical fight.

Just then, Kang De returned from the other side. Upon seeing this, he stood in front of Old Wang, grabbed the neck of the fiercest and most shrewish woman who had reached out to pull Xiaoman's clothes, and threw her directly to the ground.

What followed was a bunch of trivial matters: calling the police, giving statements, and Kang De and Xiaoman sitting firmly in the police station, completely unmoved by any soft or hard tactics. They ignored the crying, roaring, wailing, shouting, and threats from the other side, while I remained unmoved, refusing to admit wrongdoing, apologize, compensate, or seek reconciliation. If they wanted to detain me, they wanted to detain me; if they wanted to give me a demerit, they wanted to give me a demerit; if they wanted to notify my parents, they wanted to notify my school, they wanted to notify my school. I told the police officer to handle it however he saw fit.

Later, Xiaoman's father arrived. After all, he was a respectable person in society. He was neither rich nor heartless, nor did he bully others. He would never do anything illegal or disorderly. He simply brought five top lawyers from the company's Legal Department, lined them up, and spoke gently about some legal knowledge and litigation principles. In a short while, he resolved the matter. However, his principle was just like Xiaoman's: the one who starts it is the one who is at fault, and he would never compensate you a single penny.

This incident didn't affect Xiaoman much; she just laughed and teased Kang De about his rudeness in throwing women on the way home—"You'll never find a girlfriend if you're so violent."

But Xiaoman never wore that dress again after that, and soon found a new interest.

So Kang De also put the clothes away in a high place.

Who knew it would come in handy now... especially in this kind of situation.

When Old Wang made this garment, he never imagined I would wear it to do something like this.

Kang De took the cloak in his hand, stroking the smooth fabric, and thought of his childhood sweetheart's smile and glance. When was the last time they met? It had been so long since he had been back.

The last time I went back, I was a madman who almost razed an entire town to the ground.

When I go back this time, I'll be a war hero and an unparalleled warrior who kills ten thousand.

So... what about next time?

Kang De slowly exhaled.

He suppressed his complicated and chaotic thoughts and began to change his clothes.

Just then, the door was flung open, and a voice rang out. "Kang De! I heard you're awake!"

Kang De, who had just finished dressing, was startled. "Hey..."

"How."

A Xing walked in nonchalantly. "It's not like I haven't seen it before."

Kang De said helplessly, "Things are different now."

After transforming into human form, A Xing's short hair blazed like fire, his appearance was handsome and beautiful, and he was dashing and dignified. He was a full half a head taller Kang De, and his figure was incredibly voluptuous. Wherever his golden eyes swept, those who looked at him would tremble involuntarily. The bloodline suppression effect of magical creatures on ordinary beings seemed to even have an effect on humans when applied to A Xing... However, Kang De was still an exception.

In every sense, A Xing has undergone a complete transformation, but the one thing that hasn't changed is her attitude towards Kang De and how she interacts with him.

She came to Kang De's side, gently stretched out her arms, and hugged Kang De, affectionately nuzzling his cheek. Now, A Xing's strength was extraordinary, and even Kang De couldn't break free. "It really is different now. Your body has shrunk, and you've become human. You can sleep with Kang De now, so why can't you?"

Kang De couldn't break free and said helplessly, "That's precisely why we can't sleep together. Don't pout. Being able to refuse what you can easily get is what respect is all about. I'm showing you respect."

"Don't know."

A Xing turned to look at Kang De's face and smiled brightly, "But I can tell that Kang De meant well, so I'm genuinely happy. You're so kind."

As Kang De laughed, he felt the astonishing sensation of A Xing pressing his entire body against him.

Ah, what hypocritical and pathetic creatures humans are—he lamented.

Then A Xing asked, "Kang De didn't sleep with the Little Dwarf either, was that out of respect for her?"

Little Dwarf... well, I should say Leona.

Kang De, with a subtle expression, said, "Why would I sleep with Leona...?"

A Xing said matter-of-factly, "But she seems to really want to sleep with you."

"Don't talk nonsense, you'll ruin her reputation. Her brother is here."

Kang De quickly interrupted her—Yesterday, Leona's elder brother, the first heir of the Vidal Chamber of Commerce, crossed the imperial border and came to Valentan. Having experienced war and even the threat of death, he should have been overjoyed to see his family again. However, Leona was both shocked and angry when she saw her brother, and even lost her temper.

Kang De could probably guess what was going on.

Just think about those nobles and wealthy merchants who took women with them to Valentan, and you'll understand...

Perhaps that man didn't mean it that way; he was just doing it from a business perspective, hoping to establish a connection and become a familiar face... But what can a young girl do when she's in a certain state and can't tolerate any imperfections?

Upon hearing this, A Xing stopped Leona.

But then he asked, "What about the Big Goldie? Did Kang De want to sleep with the Big Goldie?"

--A Big Goldie? Are there any animals like that on the island? There are a few really creepy hyenas, though.

Kang De was initially puzzled, but seeing the A Xing's earnest gaze and undisguised hostility, he instantly realized who the other person was referring to.

It's Tina!

Back on the Holy Seal Archipelago, A Xing was indeed full of hostility towards Tina... or rather, jealousy.

The nickname "Big Goldie" is quite fitting, given Tina's incredibly beautiful blonde hair, truly like gold reflecting the brilliance of the sunlight, and she's also quite large...

--etc.

Is the "big" in "Big Goldie" like this?

So Leona is Little Dwarf, "short" refers to her height, and "small" means...

Lei--O--Na--

Before Kang De could even shed a tear for the silver-haired girl, he felt a sharp pain on his cheek. He saw A Xing reach out with both hands, grab his face, and gently pull it outwards, his gaze scrutinizing him.

Why didn't Kang De speak?

She asked gently, "I forgot to ask, when I was looking for you, I heard the Big Goldie say you were her husband, but that must be false, right?"

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PS1: First update, 3,000 words... Second update around 1 PM.

PS2: Damn it, they've started renovations upstairs again. I asked the property management and they said they're tearing down a partition wall. It's like the ground is shaking. I didn't sleep well again last night. Damn it!