Why

"... Take a good look at the manuscript! Don't make any mistakes and become a laughing stock!"

Leona's voice was filled with anger.

Just now, faced with A Xing's completely unfriendly question, Kang De innocently described his bewilderment upon hearing the news. "How did I, a time traveler, become the Cathay Chinese emperor?" He then explained his helplessness, "This was Goth's unilateral research decision; I can only recite poetry." And then...

Then Leona quickly ran to the door.

I witnessed the two of them openly embracing, a scene that was considered indecent.

They naturally started making noise and scolding each other.

A fragrant aroma filled the air.

First, Leona roared out explosive things like, "Everyone's waiting for you to leave for your speech, are you going to [beep--] have sex with her first, you shameless bastard!"

Although A Xing didn't know what "[beep--] one shot" meant, she instinctively realized that if the Little Dwarf was dissatisfied with something, then it must be Little Dwarf he envied. So she hugged Kang De even tighter and threatened, "Yeah, you close the door and watch."

Thus, "White Album" became "White Album" twice as much.

Kang De was thus freed, because what followed was a confrontation between Leona and the A Xing.

It's worth noting that Leona was able to hold her own against A Xing's overwhelming strength, mainly because A Xing was good at fighting but not good at talking, while Leona was weak but had a sweet tongue.

The two fought for a while, neither gaining the upper hand. Although A Xing could easily defeat Leona with a single finger, she had never used force against the Little Dwarf out of respect for Kang De, so...

I'm not going to lower myself to your level, you gorilla.

Leona tapped the table, looked up at A Xing, and snorted, "Have some self-respect! You don't care what others think, but you should think about Kang De too!"

A Xing, sitting on the other side of Kang De, asked, "Who are you to Kang De, that you care so much about him?"

--This is why A Xing can argue with Leona to a standstill without even lifting a finger. Although he is not good with words, he has a powerful, beast-like intuition that often gets to the heart of the matter.

Leona stammered, then said angrily, "I... I'm Tina's best friend! I'm supposed to keep an eye on her husband! It wouldn't be good if some wild monkey snatched him away!"

Without saying a word, A Xing leaned to the side, hooked his arm around Kang De's neck, and pressed his face close to Kant's.

While sticking the sticker, he gestured with his eyes—you try to stop him.

Leona exploded in fury. "Don't disturb him while he's memorizing his speech!"

Yes, the speech to be given in the cemetery later was written by Leona.

Kang De always felt that a speech needed to be genuinely moving to touch people, so he didn't know what to write.

He managed to write it down and read it aloud to Leona, which resulted in her shock and complaints.

Do you want all the nobles here to be so scared they wet their pants?

"Hey, hey, hey, if this kind of speech gets out, Goth will be instigated by civil war!"

Even if that's what you think, don't say it out loud now.

This is roughly the feedback I received.

In the end, Leona was responsible for the speech. Big shots, after all, need secretaries; they're always busy, whether there's anything to do or not. As for genuine feelings and such...

"Don't worry, no matter what, they'll applaud and cheer loudly. If you make a grammatical mistake, they'll say you're unpretentious; if you use simple words, they'll say you're unpretentious and have an ancient charm; if you stutter, they'll praise you for actions that outweigh words. That's the beauty of power and status."

Then I wrote it down.

I must say, it's very well written. It sounds beautiful, inspiring, and powerful. Hong San has been on the mainland for many years and knows his stuff. He studied it with me and agreed that it was good.

Kang De was a scholar, so I had to translate his work into Chinese and write it down. But I felt that wasn't reliable enough, so I simply used technology and recorded it aloud. I can just listen to it with headphones later.

Anyway, no one else knew what it was.

Absolutely perfect.

I think so.

But I always felt like something was off.

Leona and A Xing exchanged knowing glances, then noticed Kang De's expression and, thinking he was nervous, gently comforted him, "Don't worry, this is just a tiny stage for you. There will be many more like this in the future, in front of the army, in Goth's capital, and in Twilight Moon Imperial City."

This is just the beginning.

Kang De nodded slowly. "I understand."

After breakfast, Hong San had prepared the carriages and horses. The main force of Valentan had set off an hour ago, and now they were heading there at just the right time; important figures always arrive last.

"Then let's set off."

So the team set off.

The Humvee drove off, with Kang De and Leona inside, flanked by Hong San and A Xing. The green-skinned men, who had been instructed to keep quiet the entire way, followed behind. Three hundred elite cavalrymen from the mercenary group provided escort, while falconers circled overhead to keep watch. Twelve mages accompanied the group, making it quite a grand procession.

They walked in silence, Kang De gazed out the window at the mountains.

At this moment, Valentan was deserted, with almost the entire city rushing to the cemetery. The city was completely undefended and arrogant, ready to be attacked by anyone who wanted to.

The newly completed Valentan National Cemetery is located in the northwest of the city, on the estate inherited by the Valentan Family. The surrounding land has also been acquired. The construction and placement of this cemetery will be one of the tasks of the interim municipal government for some time to come; it is currently only in its initial stages.

But it has taken on a different meaning.

Two or three kilometers away, Kang De could see a dense crowd.

People spotted the unit, and it was undoubtedly His Highness Kang De riding in the alchemical chariot. Before the Humvee even got close, thunderous cheers roared in.

"Your Highness Kang De!"

"Kang De!"

"Praise be to you!"

The frenzied shouts and cheers of the crowd blended together, blowing like a whirlwind. So many people had gathered here, the dark mass of people surging like ocean waves.

Kang De's expression changed slightly, and he opened the window to ask, "Has the matter of order been arranged?"

Hong San replied, "Don't worry, the conscripted mages are already in place, there won't be any overcrowding."

Kang De then nodded.

Leona, who was standing next to him, turned to look at him. "How does it feel to be admired by everyone?"

Kang De remained silent, then shook his head and said, "I should be proud, but I'm not too happy."

The girl asked curiously, "Why?"

"... have no idea."

As the procession approached, crowds on both sides of the straight road shouted, cheered, wept, and even knelt down to pray. Hong San was not exaggerating; the people of Valentan truly revered him as a god.

But Kang De didn't feel much pride.

At first, he couldn't figure out why this was happening.

But when I saw one person's face, I understood.

It was a face so devout it was almost distorted, without a trace of pretense, only weeping, screaming, and fanaticism bordering on devotion, a madness from the depths of one's heart.

The key is this face... Kang De had seen it before.

That night.

He was one of the people who asked him to bind himself and leave the city to save Valentan.

Now they are here, shouting and revering without any pretense, and this is not fake.

Because they did something wrong, they feel guilty and afraid, and then they become even more fanatical?

Kang De gazed intently at those faces.

I see.

No wonder he didn't feel smug.

Because I have seen their ugly side.

That's not all.

Not only those who were there that night, not only civilians, but also soldiers—soldiers wounded in battle, brave soldiers who fought on despite knowing they would die—are now shouting and praising with fervor.

Kang De sighed silently, feeling a tightness in his chest for some reason.

Upon arriving at his destination, he opened the car door, got out, and was greeted humbly by the respectful people of the upper class. They were not overly enthusiastic, but their deference and awe were even greater.

Kang De had no time for pleasantries. After a few brief nods and greetings, he said, "The main characters today are neither me nor any of you. Let's reserve our time and respect for them..."

The ceremony was not to be presided over by Kang De, nor was Hong San suitable, so it was handed over to a highly respected old pastor of the Sula, the Sun God. The funeral was lengthy, but everyone remained patient and silent. This was partly because the fearless sacrifice truly deserved everyone's respect, and partly because Kang De was very serious and earnest.

The deceased's relatives and friends went forward to pay their respects. Kang De was the first to go up, followed by Nick, Preston, and others he knew and didn't know. The body had been preserved well by magic, and the deceased's appearance was just like when they were alive. He looked at each of them, recalling their voices and smiles.

Kang De deeply remembered the true guardians of this city, their courage and resilience, their hesitation and weakness, their determination and sacrifice. Although they were of different classes and even played the roles of slaves and exploiters, we cannot judge these people, these heroes, with a perspective that transcends their time.

He remembered all the courage.

He also remembered what Nick said to him, Preston's final plea.

After the farewell ceremony, soil was slowly poured over the coffin, allowing the departed hero to return to the earth and rest in peace.

The pastor's prayers and blessings finally ended, and he gave his place to Kang De. For many people present, this was the most important part... or rather, everyone thought so.

When Kang De ascended the platform, cheers erupted from all directions like a tidal wave.

It seems that the sacrifices of the heroes, today's funeral, all the grief, and everything the warriors gave for their homeland are not as important as Kang De... Perhaps that is indeed the case. In everyone's eyes, Valentan did his best but still failed to completely defeat the Dusk Warband, while five equally powerful legions were wiped out by one man.

But it shouldn't be calculated that way.

That's not the case.

Standing on the high platform, feeling the waves of sound coming from all directions, Kang De thought of Nick's last face: calm, relieved, and with a slight smile.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand.

The surroundings fell silent almost instantly; you could hear a pin drop.

The mage has already cast an amplification spell; the magical surround sound will be audible to everyone.

"The people of Valentan, the people of Goth."

Kang De tossed the manuscript aside and took off his headset.

Leona, who was sitting to the side, covered her head.

The next moment, Kang De's words resounded in everyone's ears.

Why should the glory of victory and all the hopes for the future be placed on an outsider?

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PS1: Second update, 3,000 words... Let me give you a heads-up: the content in today's chapter is necessary for the plot development. This kind of situation has occurred in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad. Please don't go off on tangents or show off your erudition. Just read quietly.