You Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad Human

Is it ugly?

"Not ugly."

"What about this one?"

"A little."

What about this one?

"Good."

In the Vidal Chamber of Commerce, in the conference room, Kang De's laptop was connected to his mobile phone, transferring the previously filmed video to the computer, and then playing it back frame by frame using video editing software.

Leona and A Xing watched with great interest, while Hong San was a little apprehensive.

He wasn't sure if Kang De had ever filmed him crying—and even he would feel quite embarrassed if the footage were played back frame by frame like this.

He sighed. "Your Highness, is this really necessary?"

"Yes, find the ugliest angle and take a screenshot, save it, frame it, and give it to him at the right time. It will definitely have a surprising and wonderful effect."

Kang De chuckled as he spoke, "If necessary, this picture will be on the front page of the newspaper."

As the saying goes, "One picture at the beginning, the rest of the news is made up."

For a political figure like him, a member of the royal family with an extremely high reputation and status, to have this happen in such a political setting is extremely serious. No one cares why he cried, only that he cried, especially since the press is still on Kang De's side.

The media and the public will also choose the version that attracts more attention.

Therefore, the truth is meaningless. This carefully selected photograph of the Duke of Tagelise weeping may play an unexpectedly significant role at some point, because no one cares about the truth.

People will only think he is a disgrace, a disgrace to the royal family, a disgrace to the country, and may even become a laughing stock in other countries. Even his own people will feel discouraged and lose face.

Perhaps many years from now, it will even become a globally popular meme.

That's all!

After much deliberation, Kang De selected a few images, cropped and saved them, and reviewed them one by one. He then scoffed, "This sissy isn't so ugly when he cries."

A Xing squinted and said coldly, "That's because he hasn't been hit harder yet. Smack him in the face a few times, and see if he can still cry like that."

For some reason, after meeting Tagelise, A Xing seemed to develop hostility towards him.

"So violent."

Leona muttered something, then glanced at him a few times, her expression strange. "Duke of Tiling Tagelise of Tiling, I've heard of him too. Why is he such a crybaby... and he seems to have absolutely no masculine qualities. Could it be that all his heroic spirit has been taken away by the Elf Queen?"

Upon hearing this, Kang De exchanged a glance with Hong San.

Then he asked casually, "What? You mean, the Elf Queen is a male elf woman?"

Leona thought for a moment before understanding Kang De's meaning, "No, after all, they are the elven royal family. They have all the proper etiquette and upbringing. They're definitely not some barbarian sitting on a throne with a wine barrel in one hand and a cow leg in the other. I'm talking about bravery—at least in this situation, even if the elven queen doesn't draw her sword to kill you, she will still argue with you righteously and rebuke you."

Kang De's phone recorded the whole story, and Leona was speechless after watching it. Even now, thinking back on it, she still finds it absurd, ridiculous, and laughable.

Who could have imagined that the Duke of Tiling and Prince Consort Kang De's first meeting would be like this?

Thankfully, it was an informal meeting not officially recognized; if this had happened during formal negotiations, the elven royal master of ceremonies present could have committed suicide on the spot.

The silver-haired girl rolled her eyes and scoffed, "You dare to curse him, and he dares to cry."

Kang De smiled, gazing at Tagelise's timeless face on the screen, his expression growing increasingly meaningful. He asked, "How much do you know about this Duke of Tiling?"

Leona shook her head and said, "Not much, just information that a well-informed, high-ranking noble family could obtain... basically what the elven royal family wants the outside world to see."

"To outsiders, Lord Tagelise is a mysterious figure, content with a quiet life, never basking in the sunlight to enjoy the honors and power of royalty. Instead, he lives in a high tower, studying magic, developing potions, and researching plants, silently supporting the Queen and the nation. He uses his exceptional magical talent to help the Dusk Moon Dynasty, and is a mysterious, tolerant, friendly, and kind wise man."

The girl shook her head repeatedly, looking utterly disillusioned.

"In fact, if it weren't for Master Elandil's identity being the most reliable proof, I would have doubted whether this duke was an imposter. I never imagined that Duke of Tiling would be like this. No wonder he hides in the Midsummer Tower all day long. He seems too introverted and weak... Alas, rumors are the least reliable thing in the world."

Leona glanced at Kang De and scoffed, "Like you, after the Battle of Valentan and that speech got out, people started calling you a demigod, saying you were a saint with immense power but a wise and compassionate heart. If I hadn't seen you wielding an axe and spewing profanities, I'd believe it all. Tsk, you big shots, who knows what you're really like in private."

According to Kang De's usual banter with Leona, he should have retorted sarcastically that he hadn't expected Miss Leona to be such a foul-mouthed and ill-mannered person... but he didn't.

Kang De nodded with pleasure.

Looking at Duke Tagelise's tearful face in the photo, he chuckled and said, "You're right, who knows what he's like in private."

"... Hmm?" Leona seemed a little uncomfortable. "You've changed your personality today? Hey, what's so interesting about him? He's a male elf, what are you staring at?"

Kang De smiled, "I'm thinking, this is really interesting, if my guess is correct."

Leona raised an eyebrow and asked, "What guess?"

"It's too early to say, I need to double-check."

Kang De moved the mouse and opened the previous image in Photoshop: "Hong San, send someone to tell him that I want to invite this Duke to dinner tonight."

Hong San bowed and said, "Yes."

He then asked, "What if they don't come? For example, they might say that Duke Tagelise is unwell and needs to rest for the night, and we'll talk again tomorrow—perhaps they'll still use this method to show their power."

Kang De chuckled sinisterly, "Not coming? First, we'll play this recording around the embassy. If you still don't come, we'll print out your photoshopped, ugly pictures and send them over. If you still don't come, I'll turn this video into a meme song."

He immediately demonstrated. "You bad, bad, bad, bad human!"

Then I burst out laughing myself.

Hong San's eye twitched.

Perhaps he was overthinking it. Whenever he thought about how his crying might have been recorded by His Highness, he became suspicious and always felt that His Highness's words were directed at him.

However, on the other hand, although he didn't quite understand what "ghostly songs" were, Hong San grasped Kang De's meaning and was extremely impressed by Kang De's endless stream of ideas and methods.

--This lord always manages to come up with something new and interesting.

He withdrew his curious gaze from the increasingly ugly, crying face of Duke Tagelise on the screen, then took a few steps back, turned and went out, suppressing his thoughts.

Such a wondrous thing, never before seen.

This palm-sized black object can record time, store images, capture video, emit light, make timed sounds, and even transcribe text into it—it's practically a legendary celestial treasure! Furthermore, the images and videos can be modified using another, even larger, object...

Hong San could think of other uses almost instantly.

Educational instruction, craft demonstrations, martial arts training, and intelligence gathering.

If faces in images can be altered, then many more things can be altered.

For example, two people who would never stand together appear together; or someone who is impossible to do something is doing something... and so on.

Upon realizing this, Hong San took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed the thought.

This is not the time to talk about this.

The image of Duke Tagelise also flashed through his mind.

That's the real issue right now.

He knew what Kang De was guessing.

I also know why Kang De didn't tell Leona...

"This is really interesting."

Considering Prince Kang De's usual behavior, even someone as loyal and Hong San couldn't help but feel a bit amused—he wanted to see how Prince Kang De would handle this situation.

"But if that's the case..."

As Hong San walked, he muttered to himself, "What exactly is this person here for?"

The duty of a strategist is to speculate—to speculate about the lord, the enemy, and all dangers and variables.

Now, the variables are increasing, and the potential dangers are also increasing.

Leaving the main building of the Chamber of Commerce, Hong San nodded and greeted the people nearby. He then instructed his servants to prepare a carriage, gazed at the sunset over the horizon, and slowly exhaled.

Your Highness is brave, possesses exquisite tools, has superb supernatural abilities, and is born with divine strength. Moreover, you are endowed with destructive power capable of destroying cities and defeating enemies. However, in terms of personal combat strength, you are far from being a top-tier expert.

Valentan's elite fighting force consists of only the Crimson Queen, and there aren't many others who can be considered truly powerful. In the worst-case scenario, Hong San couldn't be certain whether the Crimson Queen could buy His Highness enough time to escape.

This is one of Kang De's greatest weaknesses: he couldn't always rely on others' fears for security.

--Especially given the current situation, Hong San's worries have deepened.

Perhaps I should...

Hong San whispered, "Master..."

He clenched his fist, as if he had made up his mind.

The carriage slowly approached, and Hong San thanked the driver before getting in to visit the elf messenger.

Everything must be done, and every potential danger must be understood.

As a strategist, one must always plan for all matters concerning the lord, guard against all dangers, and win over all forces.

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PS1: First update, 3000 words... Time for lunch, will continue later.